Second Chances
by Shadpup
Summary: Emily struggles to reclaim her life in the aftermath of Doyle.
1. Chapter 1

_I'm baacckk! Hope I wasn't missed too much. This story is going to be a little different from my previous stories. A little less action, a bit more character driven. This one picks up where my first story 'Righting a Wrong' left off minus the zoo scene. That scene will be addressed later in the fic. That said I have to say I don't not own any of the Criminal Minds characters. Now go and read._

* * *

"Ready to blow this gin joint?" Rossi asked, strolling into Emily's hospital room.

"Since last week," Emily replied. She sat on the bed dressed in navy blue sweat pants and a light gray t-shirt with the navy blue FBI lettering peeking out from behind the sling. Idly she swung her tennis shoes clad feet back and forth. Her packed bag rested next to her.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked when she grabbed her crutch and started to stand up.

She looked to him in puzzlement. "You asked if I was ready. I am. So let's go."

Rossi pointed at the bed. "Sit. We have to wait for the attendant with the wheelchair."

"I can walk, Rossi." She protested.

"I know you can, Emily, but it is hospital policy. Just give them the pleasure of shoving you out the door and out of their lives forever," he teased.

"Fine," she grumbled and sat back down.

He looked around at the now bare walls. The day before JJ had help her take down all the get-well cards and drawings. "What did you do with the flowers and stuffed animals?"

She smiled. "I asked the nurses to give the flowers that were still good to other patients that didn't have any and sent the stuffed animals down to the children's ward."

"Even Rossi, Jr.?" he asked hopefully.

Emily laughed and patted the bag next to her. "Nope. RJ is right here. Jack would kill me if I gave him away."

A man wearing a red blazer poked his head through the door. "Emily Prentiss?"

"That's me," she said in obvious delight. Finally she was getting out of here.

He grinned and backed into the room with the wheelchair. "Your chariot has arrived."

"It's about time," she said as she slipped off the bed and over to the wheelchair. She ignored the helping hand the attendant held out and eased down into it. Emily then handed Rossi her crutch who took it wordlessly.

The attendant laughed. "Looks like someone is eager to get out of here," he said as he unlocked the brakes and pushed the wheelchair forward.

"You have no idea," Rossi said, shouldering Emily's bag and following him to the elevators.

Within minutes they were in the lobby of the hospital and waiting by the main doors. Emily fidgeted while Dave left to retrieve his car. There was a loud roaring and Rossi pulled up under the covered entrance. Emily's jaw dropped and the attendant let out a low whistle.

"Sweet!" he said in awe as he wheeled Emily outside.

Rossi hopped out and opened the passenger door for her.

"You certainly know how to spoil a girl," Emily said, running her eyes appreciatively over the sleek metallic black Porsche Boxster.

"I try," he said, letting Emily slide onto the leather seat without help.

He shut the door after her and went back around to the driver's side. After he got in he restrained himself helping her with the seatbelt. He pretended not to watch while she struggled to get it latched. Once secure, she adjusted the belt so that it lay more comfortably over the sling.

Rossi donned a pair of sunglasses and grinned at her. "Ready?"

"Ready."

"Top up or down?"

Emily smiled. "Definitely down. I want to feel the wind on my face."

He revved the engine for the benefit of the attendant who was still drooling over the car and pulled out into traffic.

* * *

As they drove along, Rossi would, every now and then, sneak a glance at Emily. She rode leaning back against the headrest with her eyes closed. Occasionally she would reach up to brush back a strand of hair that the wind had blown across her face.

"So when is your first appointment with the physical therapist?" He casually asked.

"I don't know," Emily said with a shrug of her good shoulder. "You'll have to ask Garcia, my self appointed event planner."

Rossi chuckled.

Emily cracked open one eye. "Nice to know that someone thinks it's funny," she said somewhat snidely.

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "And you don't?"

She made a face and tugged at the seatbelt, trying unsuccessfully to get it to lie more comfortably across her injured shoulder and the sling-enclosed arm. "I'm getting tired of people deciding what is best for me without asking," she grumbled.

Rossi nodded. He chose to remain silent figuring that Emily was merely venting a bit of the frustration that had been building up over the last year, probably originally stemming from the day JJ was removed from the team. He wondered if this was one of the cracks in Emily's mental defenses that Hotch had mentioned.

"Why don't you ask her to stop?" Rossi suggested, knowing that Emily would have a better chance of convincing an elephant to go to the prom with a mouse than getting Garcia to curtail her over protectiveness.

Emily gave him a rueful smile. "I couldn't do that. It's annoying as hell but I know it's Penelope's way of showing how much she wants to help me. I can't take that from her. So I'll be a good little girl and do what everyone tells me to do."

"Like you did at the hospital?" he teased.

"Touché," she said with a genuine laugh. Then she sobered. "Ignore me, Dave. Guess I'm having a little pity party for myself."

"You have a right to feel that way. You've been through more in the past eight months than any other person would have in their life time."

"Wow. I feel so much better now," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"You know what I mean, Smartass," he said with a roll of his own.

"I do. And Dave? Thanks for letting me vent."

He smiled. "No problem. I'm willing to listen anytime you want to."

Emily nodded and turned to look at the road ahead. She brushed back a strand of hair and then turned back to him.

"Oh. One more thing, Dave."

"What's that, Emily?"

She gave him a wicked grin. "It's Supervisory Special Agent Smartass to you."

* * *

For the remainder of the drive Emily fell silent content to watch the houses glide by. Eventually she began to notice the change in the quality of the homes. She sat up straighter and looked around.

"This is a nice neighborhood, Dave," she commented.

"I like to think so," he said, flashing her a grin.

A few minutes later he turned into a circular driveway of a two-storied white house with dormer windows, a covered front porch and a trellis archway that led to the detached garage in back. He came to a stop by the porch and cut the engine.

"Home sweet home," he said, gazing warmly at the building.

"This is some house," Emily said in amazement, taking the subtle details on the facade.

Dave squinted at her. "It's a mansion, not a house," he corrected her.

"Riigghtt," Emily drawled with a roll of her eyes.

Dave jumped out, retrieved her bag and crutch from the trunk and had her door open before she had even moved to unbuckle the seatbelt.

"May I?" he asked, offering her his hand, knowing how hard it could be to get out of those low slung seats especially with a bad hip.

Emily hesitated then slowly nodded. She let him take her good hand in his and eased her out of the car and onto her feet. Wordlessly he handed her the crutch and gestured for her to precede him up the walkway. She thanked him softly and made her way across the paving stones to the front door with Dave following discretely behind.

At the door Dave searched his pockets for his house key. When found he inserted the key into the lock but paused before he turned it.

"I probably should have asked you this earlier. You're not allergic to dogs are you?"

"Ummm…no," Emily answered hesitantly.

"Good," he grinned, unlocking the door and swung it open.

A black Labrador Retriever immediately enthusiastically greeted them. He danced around begging for a few pats before squeezing between Emily and Dave to dash outside to pee.

"That was Mudgie," he explained as he disarmed the alarm

"Cute dog," Emily said, watching Mudgie sniff intently at the base of a tree.

Dave paused. "Cute?" he asked in an affronted tone. "My dog is not 'cute'. He is handsome like his old man," he asserted firmly.

Emily smiled. "I stand corrected. Handsome dog though I'm not too sure about his owner."

The look on Dave's face only made her smile wider. While they waited for the dog to finish his business, Dave showed Emily how the alarm system worked and gave her the access code so she could come and go as she pleased.

"Well, what do you think?" he asked as he led her into the main part of the house.

Emily turned around in a slow circle nodding her head in approval. "This is nice, Dave. Real nice."

"Thanks."

Dave grinned broadly as she set out to explore the first floor. His smile slowly faded to a look of concern when he noticed what she was doing as she moved throughout the rooms. Emily was stopping at every window to look out. As she did so she would reach up to verify that each was securely latched. When she passed the French doors she jiggled the handles to make sure they were locked. Even on her way back Emily paused to rearm the alarm.

It must have been a habit she had picked up while hiding in Paris, he mused. And Emily probably doesn't even realize she is doing it. How terrified she must have felt, constantly on edge wondering when Doyle was going to show up at her door and kill her. It was something you didn't get over in one night even when you know your assailant is dead. Dave vowed, right then and now, that he would do everything within his power to make Emily feel safe again, so that she would no longer have to hide behind walls of brick and mortar and walls of thoughts.

By the time Emily completed her circuit of the first floor, Dave had turned his focus to Mudgie to appear unconcerned with her behavior. He looked up when she stopped next to him.

"Would you like to see your room?" he inquired.

"Sure," she agreed.

"This way." He shouldered her bag and led the way to the stairs.

At the bottom he hesitated. Manners, drilled into him during childhood, dictated that he should allow a woman to go ahead of him. But he felt Emily would be embarrassed if he stood there and watched her struggle up the steps. Perhaps he should offer to turn the study into the guest room. No, he quickly discarded the idea. If he did that he would be implying that she couldn't manage a single flight of stairs. That would be even more humiliating. So without another word he started up with Mudgie bounding ahead of him.

Emily also paused. It had never occurred to her that Rossi's place would have stairs, an unexpected hurdle that she would have to conquer. She mentally counted the steps: twelve not including the landing. Though from her perspective it seemed like fifty. Emily took a deep breath and rested her left hand on the banister. She stepped up with her right then dragged up her left foot. It was a process that she repeated twelve more times until she was standing safely on the landing. But the exertion took its toll. She was slightly out of breath and felt tired. She glanced down the empty hallway relieved that Dave hadn't witnessed her difficulty mastering the stairs.

Two heads poked out of the doorway to her left. "We're in here, Emily," Dave called out while Mudgie softly woofed in agreement.

Emily brushed back her hair from her face. "Coming," she answered. Straightening her spine she limped into the bedroom.

It was exactly how Dave had described it to her at the hospital. Big. More like a suite than a bedroom. The atmosphere was warm and inviting. The décor was subtle and not at all overpowering. There was a comfortable looking chair with a matching footstool in front of the large windows that must overlook the garden he had mentioned. Emily easily pictured herself curled up in it with a good book.

She limped over to the windows to look out. Dave sadly noted that she one again had unconsciously reached to check the locks. He quietly joined her. "Nice view isn't it?" he asked.

She gave him an easy smile. "It is." Emily then turned around and went to sit on the queen sized bed next to her bag. Mudgie nudged her leg hoping she would pet him.

Neither spoke as an uncomfortable quiet descended on the room making it feel much smaller than it was. It gave Dave time to study her more closely. It was obvious from the slump in her shoulders that the stairs had exhausted her more than she was letting on.

To fill the awkward silence between them Dave said, "The bathroom has clean towels and anything else you might need." He gestured to the closet and dresser. "Both are empty so you have plenty of room for your clothes."

Emily looked up from rubbing Mudgie's head. "I don't think I have enough clothes in my bag to fill one drawer," she observed with a wry laugh.

"Actually you do."

"Huh?" She looked at him perplexed.

Dave stepped over to the closet and slid open the door. Stacked inside were three large cardboard boxes. "JJ and Will went to the storage unit where she had put the contents of your apartment to get those for you. JJ knew you needed more than the clothes on your back."

"That was kind of her," Emily said softly.

"You also have those," Dave continued, pointing to the travel bag and box on the dresser. Emily immediately recognized her meager possessions from Paris.

"It took us a while to track down the motel you were holed up in and even longer to find the locker at the bus station. You certainly know how to cover your tracks."

Emily dropped her gaze to the floor. "Once you learn it, it's hard to forget," she said lamely.

Dave paused. He had meant it as a compliment but Emily had taken it as a criticism of her hiding her past as a CIA operative, a spook. He quickly set about to rectify her misconception.

"Hey, Emily," he said and waited for her to meet his eyes, which, of course, she didn't. "I meant that in the best of ways. I was trying to tell you that you are damn good at what you do. CIA and FBI."

Emily finally lifted her eyes to his. "You think so?" she asked with a small smile.

He returned it. "I know so."

Another silence hung over them but this time Emily was the first to break it. "I think I'm going to take a shower and wash the stink of the hospital off. I might take a nap afterwards."

"Sure," Dave said. He whistled Mudgie to his side and together they headed for the door.

Emily watched them leave. Just when Dave was about to close the door she spoke up quietly. "Dave?"

He stopped and looked back in. "Yes, Emily?"

"Thanks for making me stay here."

"You're welcome," he said with a nod and closed the door behind him. He waited in the hallway for what he knew was coming next. A minute later he heard the sharp click of the lock turning. With a shake of his head he looked down at the black dog.

"Looks like we have a little project on our hands, Mudgie. Make Emily feel safe again."

* * *

_Hope you all enjoyed it and please let me know what you think. I'm having fun writing this. As before I will be posting a new chapter every Wednesday like clockwork. It is winter so I don't anticipate any delays. Also I am not a shipper so there will not be any romance between the team members. They are all just friends and coworkers. Until next week._


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you everyone for the nice reception to my first chapter. Hope the second is just as entertaining. So go read and enjoy._

* * *

Emily waited for a minute or two before getting up and locking the door. She knew that it was a silly thing to do especially in this house. Dave was too much of a gentleman to come barging in without knocking first but the sound of the lock clicking into place made Emily feel safer. She didn't know if she would truly ever feel completely safe but she would take what she could get right now.

Limping into the bathroom, she was pleased to see that Dave had indeed stocked it with everything he thought she might need. He had even provided tape and plastic in case any of her injuries could not get wet. Luckily the incisions on the front and back of her shoulder were held together with surgical tape that could so she didn't have to worry about it.

She sat on the toilet lid and somewhat clumsily removed the sling. During the last few days in the hospital the nurses had her practice taking it off and then putting it back on. She figured that by the time the collarbone healed she would have it down to an art form. Next off was the brace on her broken hand and then her clothes. She struggled to get the shirt over her head but she did it and Emily was rather pleased with herself. The only part of her body that she had to protect from the water was her two splinted fingers. She quickly wrapped them in plastic and stepped into the shower.

And it was no ordinary shower either. It had one of those fancy showerheads with a multiple of settings. Emily fiddled around with it until she found one she liked. She stood still letting the hot water pound down on her, infusing her body with a steady stream of warmth that eased the tense and stiff muscles especially her hip. Once she felt suitably relaxed she started the awkward process of washing her hair with one hand.

She stayed in until the water ran cold. She got out and toweled off, managing to dry her hair as best she could. Emily wanted to put her hair in a ponytail but she couldn't do it one handed and she sure wasn't about to ask Dave for help. Eventually she would figure out how to do it. She got dressed, put the brace back on her wrist, slid the arm into the sling and strapped it on. Stifling a yawn, Emily limped into the other room to take a nap. Throwing back the covers, she crawled into the bed and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

* * *

Four hours later Emily awoke refreshed. Feeling a need for some companionship she decided to head downstairs to see what Dave was up to. Donning a pair of wool socks she picked up her arm crutch and made her way to the door. At the last moment she changed her mind and left the crutch leaning against the bedroom wall. Mudgie was the first to hear her slow footsteps on the stairs. He happily greeted her at the bottom with a tail wagging a thousand miles per hour.

"Hey," Emily said in greeting as she worked her way across the room to the kitchen, Mudgie glued to her right side.

"Hey yourself," Dave answered back; looking up from the sauce he was stirring. "I was about to come up and see if you were hungry."

"I am." She paused to sniff the air. "It smells delicious. What are we having?"

He smiled modestly. "Black truffle gnocchi topped with homemade tomato sauce."

"Sounds good."

Dave frowned slightly, watching her use the back of the couch for support as she walked. "Where is your crutch?"

Emily went on the defensive, eyes flashing. "Don't start with me, Rossi."

Dave held up his hands. "I didn't mean anything by it, Emily. I was simply curious."

"Oh," she said quietly. She looked away and shrugged. "After using it for a while my shoulder starts to hurt."

"You're injured shoulder?" he asked in concern.

She met his eyes. "No. My good one."

"I see," he said and let the subject drop much to Emily's relief. Instead he gestured to the table. "Have a seat. Dinner is ready."

Emily limped over to the table and sat at one of the two place settings. Mudgie scooted under the table and laid down with his head on her foot.

"Looks like you made a new friend," he observed as he grated Parmesan cheese over the sauce.

"Huh?" she asked, looking up.

"Mudgie," he nodded to the dog.

She took a peek at the furry foot warmer. "Yeah. I guess so." Emily let out a small laugh. "I seem to attract children and animals. Jack, Henry and now Mudgie."

"Don't forget Declan," he added off handedly as he set the plate down before her.

Emily's face clouded over. "I don't want to talk about him."

She is touchy tonight, he noted. I better tread lightly. "Again I meant nothing by it. It was just an observation," he said, taking his place at the table.

Emily nodded. Quietly she picked up the fork and started to eat. They ate in silence for several minutes before Dave tried to reengage her in conversation.

"Did you find everything you needed in the bathroom?" he asked casually.

She took a sip of water. "I did. Thank you."

Dave nodded and bit into his dumpling. Emily managed to take a few more bites before her appetite deserted her. The thought of eating one more bite made her stomach turn. She started to push the food around on her plate making it look like she was still eating.

"And how was your nap?"

"Good," she said, not looking up from her plate. "Slept like a log."

He nodded again and picked up his water glass to take a sip. Over its rim he discretely watched her pretending to eat. "If the gnocchi is not up to your liking I can make you something else," he kindly offered.

"What?" Emily's eyes shot up and look of guilt flashed across her face.

"You haven't eaten much of it."

Her eyes dropped back down to the plate, looking like she was about to accuse it of tattling on her. She sighed and shifted uneasily in her chair.

"Nothing is wrong with your meal, Dave. What I ate was delicious. It's just me. I guess I wasn't as hungry as I thought. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

He dismissed her apology. "Nothing to be sorry about, Emily. If you're not hungry, you're not hungry. That is why they invented refrigerators so that you can save your meals for later," he said with a crooked grin.

"Thanks, Dave," she said in obvious relief. She had been worried that she had offended her host by unintentionally insulting his food especially an Italian host who all take great pride in their cooking. Not a good thing to do on the first day with many more days to come.

Emily pushed her chair away from the table. "I'll leave so you can finish your dinner without me distracting you."

Dave started to rise. "You don't have to do that, Emily."

She motioned for him to remain seated. "I think I do but don't worry," she said with a small smile. "I'm not going far. Just over to the couch."

He sat back and watched her make herself comfortable on the couch. She browsed through the small pile of books that he had purposely left on the coffee table knowing that she loved reading. Finding one that sounded interesting she settled back against the cushions and started to read. The Lab followed her and plopped down at her feet, once again resting his head on her foot.

Dave smiled as he quickly finished his meal. He knew that dogs were more sensitive to people's emotions and body language. Mudgie must have sensed Emily uneasiness about being here and decided it was his duty to make her feel more at home. Dave cleaned up the remains of their dinner and the kitchen as fast as he could.

He poured two small glasses of wine and took them over to the couch. He placed one on the coffee table before Emily and then sat down at the opposite end. She looked down at the glass and then up at him curiously.

"I figure a little bit of wine wouldn't mess with any meds you may still be on," he said, sampling his.

Emily put aside the book and picked up her glass. "Just prescription Motrin and only if I need it."

"Have you filled it yet?" he inquired.

"No."

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you planning on doing it?"

She shook her head. "Not really."

Dave hesitated. He knew he had told her that he would leave her alone and not interfere with her recovery. He would avoid the subjects she didn't want to discuss and restrain from giving aid unless asked for. But he had to say something this time.

"Emily, I know you don't like taking meds, that you prefer to do without them but you have to get that prescription filled. There are going to be bumps in the road when you are going to wish you had them."

Emily scowled at his words. Dave was right of course, as he usually was, and she was too stubborn to admit it. So she pretended to give in just to get him to stop nagging her about it.

"Fine," she said grudgingly. "Can you do it for me tomorrow?"

"Sure," Dave said and let the subject drop, one minor battle with her won.

The two friends stared into their individual drinks, each wondering what to say next. They both thought how funny it was that at work they could easily talk to each other about almost anything but here it was more personal, more one on one, and they were struggling to put two words together. It would get better when they got use to each other and use to living under one roof.

"Well this is awkward," Dave observed a few minutes later.

Emily smiled in relief. "My thoughts exactly."

Dave took a sip. "Have I told you how happy I am that you decided to come back to the team?" She shook her head. "I wasn't certain for a while that you would."

Emily slowly swirled the wine in her glass. "I almost didn't," she confessed. "It took me a bit to figure out my place in the world. It's back here with you guys."

Dave's face broke into a wide grin as he raised his glass. "A toast to new beginnings."

Emily raised hers. "And to second chances. We don't often get them in life."

* * *

THUMP!

Emily bolted upright in bed, heart in her throat, wild eyes scouring the room. Her breath came out in ragged gasps as her hand shot underneath the pillow for her gun. When her fingers encountered nothing but mattress she began to panic, unable to remember when she had seen it last. She always kept it at her side when awake and nestled under her pillow when she slept. But it wasn't there now.

THUMP!

Her fear ridden eyes snapped to the door, breath now frozen in her chest, too scared to think coherently about who might be lurking on the other side. Her fragmented thoughts coughed up one name. Doyle had finally found her after all this time. The desire to flee kicked in and she pushed backwards until her back slammed into the headboard. The blow sent pain shooting through her shoulder and down her arm, bringing tears unbidden to her eyes. The pain helped her to focus. As she blinked away the tears she came to the realization that she wasn't in her sad excuse of an apartment in Paris but in David Rossi's guest room. And the noise…

Snuff! Snuff!

…Was his dog trying to push open the door and sniffing at the crack at the bottom. She leaned back and gently massaged her still healing shoulder and collarbone while she waited for her heart rate to return to normal. Emily wondered when this hunted feeling would be gone or was she stuck with it for the rest of her life. She hoped not. How useful would she be to the team if she were jumping at every shadow? She sighed in resignation. Hopefully that old saying was true, that time does heal old wounds especially the mental ones.

Feeling once more in control of herself, Emily slid back down under the covers and tried to go back to sleep. After shifting from side to side for a half an hour she knew that it wasn't going to happen. She lay on her back staring up at the shadowy ceiling. It's too quiet here, she decided. No sounds of nighttime activity. No owls hooting, no insects chirping their lullabies and no cars tooling down the streets. The unnatural silence left her nerves on edge, making her feel even more alone. In the hospital she could sleep because there was constant activity in the corridors letting her know someone was nearby.

Emily glanced at the clock on the nightstand. The glowing digits told it was a quarter to four in the morning. She threw back the covers and got out of bed. Carefully she made her way in the dark to the bag she brought home from the hospital. She unpacked the blanket Garcia had given her and RJ, Jack's special gift to her. The stuff red panda reminded her that she had a standing date with the young boy to go to the zoo.

Smiling, Emily took the two items over to the chair by the window. Pushing back the curtains, the moon let its warm tendrils of light fill the room. Wrapping the blanket snugly around her body, she settled into the comfortable chair. With RJ nestled on her lap Emily leaned her head against the cushion and gazed out and up at the twinkling stars, identifying the constellations while she waited for morning to arrive.

* * *

The smell of bacon sizzling in the pan teased Emily awake. At first she was confused to where she was but quickly recognized Dave's guest room. She was surprised that she had nodded off sometime after making it to the chair by the window. Usually after a bad dream she was up for the rest of the night. Maybe this was a sign that she was beginning to get over Doyle and not some anomaly.

Freeing herself from the blanket she got up, the bad hip protesting as it always did every morning. She looked at the blanket draped over the chair debating if she should fold it. She decided against it, not in the mood to wrestle one handed with it. Emily stiffly limped over to her go bag and pulled out the robe and slippers Garcia had given her. Since she wasn't going anywhere there was no hurry to get dressed. Besides it wouldn't be the first time Dave had seen her in pajamas and it won't be the last. Hell, the whole team has seen her in them so she was no longer embarrassed by it.

Appropriately attired she headed for the door. At the last second she remembered the prescription she told Dave she would get filled. She went back to retrieve it and was surprised to discover that she had four and not one. There was the prescription for Motrin but also ones for another stronger painkiller, an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory. She shook her head in disbelief. Boy, she sure didn't pay any attention to what the nurse had gone over with her prior to checking out. All that was on her mind was getting the heck out of there.

Shoving the scripts into the robe's pocket she moved back toward the door. Again choosing not to the use the crutch, Emily exited the room and almost tripped over Mudgie who was lying across the threshold. His tail beat out a steady rhythm on the floor.

"Morning, Mudgie," she said in greeting, scratching the Lab behind the ears when he stood.

Together they descended the stairs. One holding on to the railing tightly, taking each step one at a time. The other bounded down, skipping steps with wreckless abandon. Dave turned away from the stove when he heard the dog's toenails clicking on the hardwood floor.

When he saw Emily bringing up the rear, Dave shot the dog a look of disapproval. "Please tell me that Mudgie didn't get you up?"

"He didn't," she said. Emily pulled out a stool at the island and eased herself up on it. "It was the smell of bacon that did it. I found him outside of my bedroom door."

He returned to preparing their breakfast. "I think he slept there all night. Hungry?"

"Yes."

Remembering she had basically said the same thing last night and then had barely eaten half of it so he made her portion smaller. Before her Dave placed a plate with one scrambled egg, a piece of wheat toast and two strips of bacon. Next to it he set a glass of orange juice.

"Thank you," she said in sincerity.

After they were done, Emily had drunk all of her orange juice but only ate half of the eggs and toast. Dave took note of it but remained silent on the subject.

"So when are you heading in to the BAU?" she asked, nibbling on her last piece of bacon.

Dave took a sip of his coffee. "Actually I was thinking…"

She dropped the bacon on the plate and shook her head, face unreadable. "Go to work, Rossi," she said quietly. "I don't need a babysitter."

"Emily, I thought…"

"I know what you thought and I appreciate it. I really do," she said, "but I'll be fine. I can take care of myself. You have made sure that everything I might need is already here." Emily looked beseeching at him. "Please go to work. Go annoy a murdering lunatic for me."

"If you insist," he said.

"I do." The two friends shared a brief smile then Emily nodded. "Thank you," she said softly.

Dave nodded back. "Any time, Kiddo."

Emily finished off the last of her bacon and took a small bite of her toast while Dave drank his coffee. "Oh," she exclaimed and shoved her hand into the pocket of the robe. She fished out the prescriptions and slid them across the surface of the island. "Would you be able to get these filled?"

Dave picked up the scripts and flipped through them. "I thought you said you only had one prescription?" he asked puzzled.

"So did I," she admitted with an apologetic shrug. "Guess I wasn't paying attention when the nurse handed them to me. I just shoved them, along with my release paperwork, in my bag. I really wanted to go hom… to get out of there."

"No kidding," he said dryly. The corner of Emily's mouth twitched into a smile. "I'll be glad to, Emily. What pharmacy do you go to?"

Emily told him. When Dave made a move to take away the breakfast dishes, she spoke up. "Go. I can clean up."

He hesitated. "Are you sure?" Emily impatiently stared at him. "Right," he corrected himself, putting on his blazer and picking up his briefcase. "Call me if you need anything. You know where to find me."

"I should," she said with a small smile. "Have a good day, Dave."

"You too, Emily." He gave a nod and departed.

Emily remained seated on the stool until she was positive he was gone. She got up and limped over to arm the alarm system. Then she took a quick tour of the first floor to verify that all the windows were still secured. She cleaned up before retreating to her room, locking the door behind her.

* * *

_There you go. Hope you all enjoyed it so let me know what you think. So tune in next Wednesday for the installment. Until then have a good week._


	3. Chapter 3

_How time flys. It is Wednesday again. So for those eagerly waiting here is the third chapter. Enjoy._

* * *

The very instant Dave stepped through the doors of the BAU Garcia pounced on him. She fired off a quick round of questions.

"How is Emily doing? Is she settling in? Have you gotten on her nerves yet? Is there anything that she needs? Does she miss Sergio? If she does I can bring our little Boo over for a visit. Speaking of visits would tonight be too early to stop in? Do you think she would like to have a girl's night out or in later this week?"

Dave held up his hands. "Whoa! Slow down, Garcia, give me a chance to answer," he said quickly when she paused to catch her breath. "Emily is doing fine and is settling in. No, I haven't gotten on her nerves or vice versa. To my knowledge there isn't anything she needs at the moment. I'm sure Emily misses Sergio but bringing him over wouldn't be a good idea. My dog doesn't like cats."

He moved into the break area to pour another cup of coffee. Penelope tagged along. "As to visiting I would recommend putting it off for a while. Lets not overwhelm Emily on her first few days home. She's going to need some time to adjust. Remember she only got out of the hospital yesterday."

"Oh, right," Penelope said, looking crestfallen.

"But when I get home tonight I will ask Emily about the girl's night out or in."

Her face brightened. "Cool. Thanks, Dave."

"No problem," he said in return, sipping the hot brew carefully.

Garcia then handed him a piece of paper. "It's a schedule of Emily's appointments with her doctor and the physical therapist. She has PT twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday and the doctor wants to see her every two weeks."

"Thanks, Penelope," Dave said. "Emily told me she really appreciated that you took care of this for her." Those weren't exactly the words Emily had used but they were close enough.

"I only wanted to help," she said, blushing at the compliment. With cheeks bright red she hurried off to her lair.

As Dave headed for his office, he fielded other inquiries from his fellow agents about Emily's well being. He paused at her desk and smiled. Its bare surface and empty drawers no longer spoke of a beloved friend taken too early from them. Instead, it indicated the future return of that friend and the healing of the hole in the soul of the team. Garcia had already returned all of Emily's personal effects to their proper places and restocked it with all new office supplies.

"It looks good," Hotch observed from the doorway of his office as Dave ascended the short flight of stairs.

Dave turned and looked back down at the desk. "It will look even better when Emily is sitting behind it again."

Hotch crossed his arms. "So how is Emily really doing? I heard you running through the gambit of questions from everyone."

Dave smiled. "She's fine so far. We'll see as time progresses."

Hotch nodded, knowing this was all her was going to get out of the senior profiler. Dave was going to respect Emily's right to privacy.

"I asked Strauss to take us out of the rotation for the next two weeks until Emily gets situated. It's just a precaution in case something unexpected crops up at home."

"Good idea," Dave said. He saluted Hotch with his coffee and went into his office. He sat down at his desk and gazed out the window. Of all the people on the team Hotch was the only one who truly understood what was happening with Emily and what lay in the road ahead of her.

* * *

After Dave had left for Quantico, Emily had retreated to her room. Even though she knew the alarm system was on, a sense of foreboding hung over her and she felt somewhat safer behind the locked door. The feeling was still there lurking in the corner but it was less pressing than before.

Now that she had the house to herself, she was at a loss at what to do. Emily sat on the edge of the bed and looked around. Her eyes fell on the cardboard boxes stacked in the closet and the two travel bags on the desk. Maybe she should unpack them. It would help to pass the time and having everything put away in the dresser and hung in the closet would be easier for her. She wouldn't have to dig through the boxes every time she needed a particular piece of clothing.

Emily jumped when there was a thump at the door. It was followed by a low whine. She closed her eyes and let out her breath. "Mudgie."

She got back up and went to the bedroom door. Unlocking it, Emily held it open just wide enough for the dog to squeeze through. "Come in," she said as Mudgie trotted by, tail wagging.

She started to close the door when she realized that at some point Mudgie would grow bored with what she was doing and want to leave. So against her better judgment and the need to feel safe, she left the door ajar. To justify her decision she reasoned that the dog was another form of protection.

Stepping up to the boxes she tugged on the top one to see how heavy it was. It proved to be too heavy to move with one hand. Damn, she should have asked Dave to move them over by the bed before he had gone to work. She sighed in annoyance. It was too late to do anything about it now. She didn't want to put it off until tomorrow, having no desire to spend the entire day in her pajamas. It was her own fault for not thinking of it sooner.

Starting with the first box, Emily opened it, grabbed an armful of clothes and took them over to the bed. There she sorted them into separate piles: everyday, work and charity. It took her most of the morning to get through the first two boxes. She tired easily and had to take numerous breaks. Emily was aware that she had fallen asleep during at least three of them.

Meanwhile Mudgie was having a grand old time. He inspected every bit of clothing she unpacked, giving each a vigorous sniff over. All he had detected so far was Emily's scent and the scent of his dreaded enemy: a cat. And when she had taken her unplanned naps, he had settled down next to the bed and kept watch.

Multiple times during the morning the phone would ring, startling Emily. Every time it rang, she froze clutching whatever she was holding to her chest, staring at the extension on the nightstand until it stopped. After the fourth call she unplugged it, letting the answering machine take the messages.

* * *

"Something is wrong with Emily!" Penelope cried, rushing in to the Unit Chief's office.

Dave and Hotch looked up from the file they were conferring over startled looks on their faces. "What do you mean, Garcia?" Hotch was the first to find his voice.

Penelope shifted nervously from foot to foot, wringing her hands. "I thought I would call and say hi but she's not answering the phone. Maybe she has fallen and can't get up."

Dave couldn't help but chuckle when images from the Life Alert commercials flashed through his head. Penelope gave him a look that said this was no laughing matter. He relaxed in his chair.

"I'm sure the reason Emily didn't pick up is because it is not her house and that it wouldn't be right for her to answer my phone. She's probably letting the answering machine take them."

"But she would have heard me leaving messages," she countered.

"Not necessarily. Emily could be in her room or out on the patio." Dave highly doubted she had ventured outside yet. "Besides I keep the machine in my study and I can't really see her hanging out in there."

Hotch cocked his head to one side as he regarded the technical analyst. "Exactly how many messages did you leave for Emily?"

She looked down at her hands. "Ummm…ten," she said in a small voice.

"I think that is enough for now. Let Emily be. I don't think she needs us constantly checking up on her," he said sternly.

"Right," she quickly agreed, backing up toward the door. She was embarrassed by her overreaction. She had only wanted to make sure Emily was okay. Whenever the team went away she worried about their safety and when one was injured she wouldn't stop until they were back in the fold. "I got work to do," she announced and fled.

Dave shook his head in amusement. "Every team needs a gaudily attired mother hen."

* * *

By mid afternoon Emily had reached the bottom of the final box. There had been another box that Dave had failed to mention that contained her shoes. She left it as it was, instead, choosing to unpack a few of her favorite pairs. When she pulled out the last armful of shirts, her fingers scraped something metallic. Emily dropped what she was holding on the floor and peered back in.

Under the glare of the overhead light the dull gray of the gun safe gleamed. Emily stared at it in surprise. It was the last thing she expected to find. When packing up her apartment JJ must have put the safe in the box on purpose to hide it on the off chance the storage unit might be broken in to. She had probably forgotten it was even there when she and Will had retrieved the boxes.

The gun safe was too heavy for her to pick up with one hand so she flipped it over to expose the keypad. With shaking fingers she punched in the combination. It unlocked with an audible click. Emily held her breath, swung the door open and put her hand in. It had to be there, she needed it to be there. She breathed a sigh of relief when her fingers curled around the cold, hard, steel barrel of the gun.

Pulling it out Emily carried the gun over to the bed. She sat down and laid the Glock in her lap. She stared at it, not touching, afraid that if she tried again she would find that it was a figment of her imagination. Bracing herself she reached out to run a finger over its surface. Just seeing and feeling its comforting weight in her lap took the edge off of her paranoia. Over the past year the guns had become her security blanket, she had to have one by her side. She only felt complete when one was in her hand.

Picking up the Glock Emily ejected the clip and then using her knees to hold it she slid back the bolt to check if there was a bullet in the chamber. There was. Flipping the weapon over she reinserted the fully loaded clip. Standing up Emily slipped the gun into the pocket of her robe and resumed unpacking, reassured every time it bumped against her leg when she moved.

A few hours later Emily sat in the chair surveying the room. All the clothes she decided to keep had been put away or hung up. The cast offs were in a box by the door. She would ask Dave to drop them off at one of his favorite charities. On the desk sat the laptop and the books she had shipped from Paris. Already it felt more like her place than Dave's guest room. To make it complete all she needed to do was to find some tape so she could hang some of Jack and Henry's drawing that were her favorites. The Mother's Day card from Jack sat in its special place on the nightstand.

Mudgie got up from his spot at her feet and ambled over to the half open door. He stood there whining. Emily looked at him waving her hand.

"You don't need my permission to leave," she told him.

The whining grew louder and he looked at her with imploring hazel eyes. He started to fidget in place.

"Oh," she said when it dawned on her what he was after. She was use to Sergio who simply had a box to poop in. Dogs were different. This was a new experience for her.

"Do you have to go out?" she asked. Mudgie let out a happy yip and shot through the door. A second later he poked his head back in to see if she was coming.

Emily let out a small laugh as she stood up. "I'll take that as a yes."

Before following the dog she picked up her gun. She had changed into a comfortable pair of jeans and a loose fitting tee shirt with 'Yale' across the front. Not having a left handed holster Emily had to settle for tucking the Glock in the small of her back.

By the time she had worked her way down the stairs Mudgie was standing at the French doors gazing intently outside. Figuring the doors was wired she had to disarm the alarm system first. That done she limped over to join the dog.

When she opened the door Mudgie shot through it barking his head off, startling her. Emily instinctively ducked out of sight, drawing the gun. With heart pounding and nerves on the verge of snapping she peered through the glass, scanning the grounds for the danger the dog had just warned her about. Then something in the bushes moved and she raised the gun. The squirrel burst out of its cover, zigzagging across the grass with Mudgie hot on his tail.

Emily lowered the Glock and a nervous giggle escaped her lips. She had almost shot an unarmed squirrel. "God, I'm a nervous wreck," she said aloud to herself. "What's next? Am I going to hold up a chipmunk for the seeds it had stashed in its cheeks?"

Mudgie, having been outwitted by the squirrel, trotted back. When he spotted Emily standing by the door, he grabbed one of the numerous tennis balls littering the yard. He dashed to the patio, slid to a stop and sat. He dropped the ball at his paws then looked at her, his eyes begging her to come out and play.

Emily smiled at the invitation. Tucking the gun in her waistband she moved toward the open French door. The very instant her foot crossed the plane of the threshold; she was overwhelmed by a crushing wave of terror. The paranoia Doyle had instilled in her took control. Rossi's backyard was transformed before her very eyes. No longer was it cheerful and inviting. Instead, it was a dark and terrifying place, full of hidden dangers.

Her mind told her it wasn't safe to be outdoors, that she could be accosted at any time. It was better to remain hidden within these walls, out of reach of the monsters lurking outside. Emily backpedaled until she bumped into the back of the couch. She sank to the floor and drew her knees up to her chest, gun clutched in her hand.

Sensing something was wrong with her Mudgie abandoned his ball to creep into the house and sidle up to her side. He licked Emily on the chin and she put her arm around him. With both the gun and her eyes trained on the doors she knew she was ready to battle whatever demons dared to come in. But she wasn't sure if she would survive one with her own personal demons.

* * *

_Hope you all enjoyed the latest installment. Please let me know what you think. It is very much appreciated. Until next week._


	4. Chapter 4

_Welcome back everyone. A big shout to all who have reviewed. It is greatly appreciated. They make me want keep writing. Now without any more fanfare here is the next chapter. Enjoy._

* * *

Mudgie abandoning her side snapped Emily back to reality and out of her world of paranoia. It took her a few seconds to recognize her surroundings. She was sitting on the floor, pressed against the back of the couch, gun held in a death grip, in the middle of Dave's living room. _How long have I been sitting here_, she wondered? Long enough for the hip to stiffen up she reasoned when she shifted. Her stomach churned at the thought of how much time she had lost while locked in her head. Where were those compartmentalizing skills she was so proud of? They were probably just as broken as her mind and body.

The dog began dancing in circles in front of the main door. That meant that Dave was home. Emily looked at the gun in her hand in alarm. She couldn't let him see her like this, couldn't let him see the gun. He would take it away from her, possibly afraid that she might hurt herself. She cast about for a place to stash the weapon. Keeping it on her person wasn't an option. Dave would immediately notice. In desperation she shoved it under the couch and she would have to figure out how to retrieve it later. By the time Dave was inside, Emily was standing by the now closed French doors.

"Hey, kiddo," he called out when he spotted her.

"Hey," she answered back with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"How was your day?" he asked as he set his briefcase down by the door leading to the study.

"Good," Emily said and looked away but not before he glimpsed a look of apprehension flashed across her face.

He paused studying her. "Did something happen today?"

Her head whipped around. "What? No. Nothing happened," Emily answered quickly, a bit too quickly for his liking. Her eyes narrowed as she went on the defensive. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "You just seem to be a little…off."

"Oh. My hip is bothering me today," she lied and rubbed it to make her point.

Dave didn't buy her answer for a moment. Something bigger than a sore hip was troubling her and knowing her as he did she wasn't going to tell. He could push the issue with her but really didn't want to spend the evening with a sullen Emily hiding behind her mental walls.

He let it go and instead said, "Well it is a good thing then that you start physical therapy tomorrow."

Emily scowled in annoyance. "I do?" she asked, hoping she had heard him wrong.

"You do." He pulled out a folded piece of paper from the blazer's pocket and held it out to her. Emily limped over and took it from him. Her frown deepened as she scanned it. Dave refrained from laughing at the look on her face.

"Garcia has kindly scheduled all your appointments for the next month." He retrieved the paper from her unresisting fingers. "I'll just hang it on the refrigerator so that you can't intentionally forget them."

"Wonderful," she grumbled and flopped down on the couch.

Dave chuckled as he went back to his briefcase and pulled out a small white paper bag. He put it down on the coffee table and took a seat next to her. "I got your prescriptions filled. I must say that Pharmacist of yours is certainly a chatty fellow especially when he found out I was picking them up for you."

Emily half smiled. "That he does."

"He explained to me in great detail each prescription. He told me to tell you that you need to start the antibiotic and the anti-inflammatory immediately and that the antibiotic needs to be taken with food."

"Okay," she said, sounding totally unimpressed.

Dave rested his leg over his knee. "I thought we could order in tonight. You up to a slice or two of pizza?"

"Sure," Emily said without much enthusiasm.

"Good," he said and got up to head to the kitchen for the number to place the order. When he came back, Emily was busy rubbing her two splinted fingers. He cocked an amused eyebrow at her.

Emily smiled sheepishly up at him. "They itch like crazy and I can't reach the spots to scratch."

* * *

After the pizza from Antonio's arrived Dave filled Emily in on how his day work. He relayed all the good wishes from the other agents working in the BAU. Emily fidgeted, embarrassed by all the attention. As he selected his third slice of pizza, he was pleased to see that she was working her way through her second.

"By the way," Dave tossed out. "You certainly had Garcia in a panic today."

"How so?" she asked with a frown, sneaking a piece of crust to the thankful Lab. "I haven't talked to Pen since the hospital."

"That's the problem. Was the phone ringing off the hook?"

Emily turned to him, eyes wide in surprise. "That was her?" Seeing that she was distracted Mudgie began to delicately nibble on the pizza in her hand.

"Yup," he said grinning. "When you didn't answer after ten tries she was ready to send in a Swat team. She thought you had fallen couldn't get up."

She sucked in a breath between her teeth and grimaced. "I didn't answer…" she started to explain.

"Because you didn't feel comfortable answering my phone," Dave finished for her.

"Right." Emily went to take another bite of her pizza only to discover that all she had left was the crust. She eyed Mudgie who looked innocently away, the dab of tomato sauce on his nose giving him away. Sighing she fed the rest of the crust to him.

The corners of Dave's eyes crinkled in amusement at their interaction. "I explained that to Garcia and she totally gets it now."

"I'll call her tomorrow," Emily promised. She debated having another slice but decided not to. She wasn't that hungry.

"Good idea," he said. "You might want to use this." He pulled a cell phone out and handed it to her. "Hotch wanted me to give it to you. You'll get your gun and badge back when you return to work."

At the mention of the word 'gun' Emily's eyes flickered uneasily down to where the weapon was hidden under the couch. Dave caught the look and leaned forward in an attempt to capture her elusive eyes. "Emily, something wrong?" he asked in concern.

"No," she said quickly. "Thank Hotch for me would you, Dave?" she asked, trying to get the subject off of her. Meanwhile she rolled the phone over in her hand. She had thought she would never see it again along with her other vestiges of her FBI career she had left in the drawer of her desk.

Before dropping the subject yet again because he had promised not to pry and that he didn't want to upset her, he said quietly. "Remember what I told you in the car. Anytime you feel the need to talk, I'm here to listen."

She gave him a grateful smile. "I haven't forgotten."

Dave then passed on Garcia's invitation for a girl's night out. Emily quickly shot down the idea. She pointed to her face that still sported a wide array of bruises topped off with the slowly fading black eyes.

"I'm not ready to go out in public looking like this yet. I might frighten some kids," she joked.

"Never. What about JJ and Penelope coming over her for a girl's night in? I can easily make myself scarce," he suggested.

Emily hesitated. She liked the sound of it. It was one of the things she had missed dearly while in exile but at the same time she wasn't sure if she was ready. "I don't know, Dave," she said honestly.

"Reid wants to come over too."

She blinked at him. "Reid wants to come to a girl's night in?" Her voice echoed with disbelief.

Dave laughed. "No. I believe he wants to watch some movie with you. It sounded really long and that it was in Russian. It was hard to tell because Reid danced around the question for ten minutes before asking." He shrugged. "No wonder he has a hard time getting a date."

"Solaris. It's a sci-fi movie."

"So are you going to do it? I'll make the popcorn."

Again Emily hesitated then slowly shook her head.

Dave frowned, puzzled. "Why not? Both sound like fun and it would do you a world of good."

Emily reached down to scratch one of Mudgie's ears before answering. "It wouldn't be right."

"I don't understand."

She looked around and gestured at their surroundings. "This is your home. It wouldn't be right for me to entertain friends in your house."

He leaned back against the couch's cushions, arms folded across his chest. "Now listen closely, Emily Prentiss. As long as you are under this roof, this house is our house. You can do whatever you want while you are here."

The corner of her mouth curled into a smile. "So I can host a bunch of drunken orgies if I want to?"

"Let me amend that. You can do whatever you want within reason. But if you do, don't include Mudgie. He can't hold his liquor."

* * *

Darkness filled the room. Emily sat in its embrace on the bed, eyes glued on the locked door. Absent-mindedly she ran her hand along the length of the sling while her right leg jiggled in agitation. She and Dave had filled the rest of the evening with idle chatter, the two friends slowly getting reacquainted. Emily told him about the box of clothing she had set aside for donation and he promised to drop it off on the weekend. Eventually she pleaded that she was tired and was going to call it a night. Now she was waiting for Dave to go to bed.

She could hear the siren call of the Glock. It begged her to come back down and rescue it from its lonely hiding place. Emily wanted to obey but she had to wait for everyone else in the house to succumb to slumber. Her hand itched to wrap itself around the soothing grip, to feel its reassuring weight against her palm. She needed that gun, desperately yearned for it. Now that she knew that it existed she had to have it tucked safely under her pillow so that she could sleep.

After what seemed to be hours, Emily heard the soft tread of Dave's shoes as he ascended the stairs. He paused and spoke quietly but too low for her to make out any of the words. Mudgie must be on sentry duty outside her door. Dave chuckled and moved away. A minute later she detected the sound of his door closing. She waited for another nerve wracking thirty minutes before making her move. She had wanted to give him plenty of time to settle in for the night.

Emily got to her feet and limped over to the door. She cracked it open and peeked out. Mudgie was exactly where she thought he would be. He looked up at her and slowly wagged his tail. Putting a finger to her lips and shushed him. Emily didn't know why she did it, obviously the dog doesn't understand the gesture, but the situation seemed to call for it. Nudging him to one side with her foot, she slipped through the opening.

Using her fingertips as a guide Emily crept down the stairs and over to the couch. Her hip protested as she knelt down on the floor. Ignoring the twinges of pain Emily stuck her hand under the couch and started to grope around, the injury preventing her from leaning over far enough to peer under. Mudgie, having followed his new friend down, shove his head under to help look.

Panic began to overtake her when her searching fingers failed to come into contact with the weapon. Had Dave figured out that she had hidden something beneath the couch and had removed it? Emily bereted herself for letting her body language betray her secrets. Before Doyle that had would never had happened. Just when she was about to give up the side of her hand bumped into it. Unable to restrain her elation Emily let out a small cry of triumph. She pulled the Glock out and clutched it to her chest, a sense of security settled over her. Mudgie looked on happy that his playmate had found what she was looking for, yet, disappointed that it wasn't a chew bone or a toy.

It took quite a bit of effort but Emily regained her feet and with the gun fully in her possession, she limped back to bed. At the door she blocked the dog from entering. She gave him a quick pat on the head while telling him, "Not tonight, fella. Maybe tomorrow."

Emily felt bad for saying no to him but she had to maintain the appearance that she had never left her room. Dave had observed on his way to bed that his dog was sleeping outside her door. Leaving the lights off she crawled back into bed and burrowed beneath the covers but not before sliding the gun under the pillow. Comforted by its presence Emily fell into a dreamless sleep, for now.

* * *

"Knock! Knock! Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" Dave said brightly, rapping his knuckles on the bedroom door. With his other he tested the knob. Locked.

"Go away," came Emily's sleepy reply.

He chuckled. "No can do, at least not today. You have physical therapy in two hours."

There was a groan and then a muffled thud.

"Throwing a pillow against the door won't make it go away," he pointed out, enjoying it.

Emily shot at him a few choice words in French that he assumed weren't very complimentary. "I would suggest you dress comfortably," he added.

Emily didn't say anything this time but he could hear her moving about. Still chuckling he went downstairs to make his breakfast and coffee. He would wait forty-five minutes for her to take a shower before starting hers. An hour later he was standing outside her room holding a tray bearing a glass of orange juice, an bacon, egg and cheese biscuit and her meds. He knocked.

"Come in."

Balancing the tray with one hand he turned the knob with the other. Using his hip he pushed the door open and stepped in. Emily sat on the bed dressed in sweats and a baggy tee shirt. She had a Washington Nationals ball cap on and had pulled her hair through the hole in the back. It was the closest she could get to an actual ponytail.

"I've brought you breakfast and your meds that you conveniently left downstairs," he announced. Mudgie bounded by him and went to her side.

"You didn't need to that, Dave," she said, giving the dog a scratch. "I would have been down in a few minutes."

"Just humor me, Emily," he said and placed the tray next to her on the bed.

Emily smiled. "Okay."

"Good." He jerked a thumb at the door. "I'll be downstairs in the meantime. Yell when you are done."

She nodded in agreement and he turned to leave. She looked nervously at the floor, biting her lip. _Just do it_, she told herself. With a sigh she straightened her back, swallowed hard and spoke up. "Dave?"

"Yes?" he asked, turning back to her.

Emily stared at a spot over his left shoulder, unable to meet his eyes. "I can't tie my shoes," she whispered.

He kept his face expressionless, knowing how much it must have cost her to admit that she needed a little help. Wordlessly he went over to her, knelt and tied the laces. When done Dave gave her knee an encouraging pat. He then stood up and left.

Emily watched him the entire time, feeling like a helpless two-year old. She hated having to ask for help for the simplest of tasks but she had to. She was relieved when Dave tied her shoes without saying a word or making light of it. He knew of the battle raging in her head and he told her understood through that simple gesture.

Fifteen minutes later Emily called down that she was done. Dave trotted back up to retrieve the dirty dishes. Once again he knocked and she bade him to enter.

"You bellowed?" he teased as he stepped into the room.

She smirked. "I do not bellow. I forcibly call out."

"To each his own," he said, picking up the tray pleased to see it empty. Even the two pills he had laid out were gone. "Was breakfast to your liking?"

"It was." She met his gaze briefly leading him to wonder how much she had actually eaten and how much she had given to Mudgie. Judging from the contented look on the dog's face it was quite a bit. Emily's supposedly lack of appetite was beginning to trouble him. Should he bring it up or was it really a side effect of the medication? He would have to think about or even possibly have a quick chat with her doctor.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

Emily's brow furrowed with annoyance. "Not really but I don't have much of a choice do I?"

With the tray in his hands Dave couldn't cross his arms so he had to settle for aiming a mock frown in her direction. "Actually you do. I can't force you to go." Her face brightened at the thought. "But remember you need the doctor and the physical therapist to clear you for the field."

Her face fell. "You certainly know how to burst a girl's bubble," she groused.

"So I have been told by three different women before you," he said with a wink. "I'll meet you downstairs and," he jerked his head at the crutch, "don't forget that."

* * *

Emily met Dave by the front door where she asked if he had a lightweight jacket she could borrow so that she would be able to carry her phone, house key and money. When JJ had dropped off the boxes of clothes she forgot to include some outerwear. Dave asked why she needed money and she had replied that on the off chance he got called into work, she would be able to pay for the cab ride to his house. That was when Emily learned that Hotch had taken the team out of the rotation for the next two weeks. She really wished he hadn't, preferring to have the team out hunting unsubs than sitting around babysitting her from afar.

The dark green jacket Dave found was a bit too big for her frame but it provided plenty of room if she had to zip it up over the sling. Emily was feeling rather good until the moment Dave swung the front door open. The same wave of crushing terror that had paralyzed her yesterday afternoon came crashing back. She froze for an instant then automatically took a step back.

Dave, who was standing next to the alarm waiting to arm it, saw her hesitate. "Emily? You okay?"

She blinked and gave him a reassuring smile that she did not feel. "I'm fine."

Emily turned her eyes back to the yawning maul before her. There wasn't a legitimate reason why she was afraid to go outside. Nothing dangerous was lurking out there, her personal monster was dead but she couldn't convince that part of her mind that controlled those emotions that it was true. _You cannot let Dave see that you are terrified to step through that door_, she thought_. Be strong, Emily, show no signs of weakness, show no fear. Dave will be at your side. You are not alone. There is safety in numbers so just go for it! _

Feeling buoyed by her mental pep talk, Emily closed her eyes and straightened her shoulders. With her back stiff with determination Emily took a deep breath and plunged through the opening out into the unknown.

* * *

_Yay! Emily made it outside. Hopefully this is a big step forward for her and that she won't end up taking two steps back. Well guess you will have to check back in next week to find out. Until then and don't forget to let me know what you think._


	5. Chapter 5

_Tis amazing how times flys. Wednesday already. A big shout out to those who are sticking with me through this fic. I know it is different from my previous two fics and not some people's cup of tea. I do have more action planned in other future fics but I felt this one had to written this way. So thanks for the positive reviews and now go read._

* * *

The minute hand on the clock mounted on the wall of the waiting room ticked its way sluggishly toward noon. Dave sighed and set aside the nine-month-old magazine he had been flipping through. How much longer, he wondered. Emily has been in there for almost two hours. If every one of her physical therapy sessions were going to be this long he'll bring some files from the BAU to work on while he waited.

Earlier, after dropping the reluctant Emily off for her appointment, he went in search of her doctor. He knew that Dr. Barrett would not talk specifics about Emily's medical history but she could answer some general questions about medications. When he did finally locate her, the good doctor confirmed that the meds Emily was on could have an affect on her appetite especially if she was prone to it. Dave wasn't sure but that would go a long way in explaining why she balked at taking any painkillers whenever she got hurt. He thanked her for her time and when he turned to go, Dr. Barrett casually mentioned that when she saw Emily in two weeks it would be nice to see that she had put on a little weight. A not so subtle hint that he should see that she still ate even when she didn't feel like it. It was easier said than done especially since he promised not to meddle.

The whooshing sound of the automatic doors opening snapped Dave out his reverie. Out limped a peeved Emily leaning heavily on the arm crutch. He stood up and opened his mouth to ask how it went but she blew right by him.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said brusquely and disappeared down the hospital corridor.

"Okay," he said to the empty air. Several of the out patients there for the first time looked worriedly from him to the doors with wide eyes, wondering what horrors laid beyond. He flashed a charming smile at them. "That was just her way of saying that her session went well."

* * *

Dave found Emily waiting impatiently for him outside. "I didn't know where you parked," she said as an explanation to why she was standing around.

"No problem," he said. "Why don't you wait here while I go get the car?"

Emily looked around. Even though they were standing in a heavy foot travel area, people were constantly flowing in and out of the hospital, Emily still felt too exposed. "I'll walk with you," she decided.

"Sure," he said and guided her to where the Boxster was parked. Politely he held the car door open for her.

As they drove it was Dave who finally broke the silence. "Do you want to stop and have lunch?"

Emily stared out the side window, not really watching the buildings zip by. "No."

"Okay," Dave said, eyes glued to the road. "Stop in at the BAU and say hi to everyone?"

"No."

"Hmmm." He spared a glance. "Do you think I will be able to ask a question that you will answer yes to?"

Emily's eyes flickered over to him. "No," she said and then smiled.

"I thought so," he said with a chuckle. "So tell me what you want to do, Emily. I'll take you wherever you want to go."

She rested her head back on the headrest and let her eyes drift to the windshield. "If you don't mind, Dave, but I really would like to go back to your place."

Dave nodded and pointed the car toward home. Both remained quiet for the rest of the trip, one concentrating on his driving while the other was lost among her swirling thoughts.

* * *

Emily didn't breathe until she was safely behind the walls of Dave's house. The short distance from car to front door seemed like a million miles long. It felt the same way when she walked from the hospital to Dave's Porsche. The fear, that nibbled around the edges of her mind the entire time she was out, faded. She knew it would rear its ugly head the instant she got anywhere near a door leading outside. She couldn't understand why her paranoia was stronger now than what it was in Paris. Apparently it was still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Abandoning the arm crutch by the couch, Emily made a limping beeline to the kitchen island where Dave had neatly lined up her pill bottles. She grabbed the pain meds and dry swallowed one.

"I told you that you might have a need for those," Dave commented as he followed her in.

Emily made a face at him and flopped bonelessly on couch. Dave settled in the chair opposite her, crossing his legs and interlacing his fingers around his knee. "So are you up to telling me how physical therapy actually went?"

She let out a huge sigh and slid down until her head was resting on top of the couch back. "I felt like I was on the other end of an interrogation," she said, staring at the ceiling.

"The therapist took a complete medical history. Not a general one but an in depth one. He wanted to know everything including what childhood ailments I had," she complained. "I'm surprised he didn't ask if I had acne."

Dave cocked an eyebrow in amusement. "Did you?"

Emily squinted at him not as amused as he was. "Its none of your business if I did, Rossi."

"I'm sorry, Emily," he apologized with a light laugh. "Go on."

She glared at him for a second longer before resuming. "Then he put me through a series of exercises to test my tolerance levels all the while he had this smile on his face. After an hour I was ready to wipe that grin off his face."

Dave couldn't help but laugh causing Emily's frown to deepen. "You wouldn't be laughing if you were the one being torque into unnatural positions just to see what caused pain," she groused.

"You're right, Emily. I apologize again."

Emily waved away his apology. "No need to, Dave. I'm just in a bad mood. Being twisted into a pretzel did not help."

Mudgie trotted up with his leash and dropped it in his owner's lap. Dave smiled and ruffled the dog's fur. "You want to go for a walk, boy?"

The dog barked one and spun in a circle evoking a smile from Emily. As he clipped the leash to the dog's collar he invited her to come along. "It will help you relax," he suggested.

Her smile faded and she cast an uneasy eye at the door. The fear of going back outside surfaced to nip at her nerves. Quickly Emily schooled her face into a look of regret to mask her trepidation. "Actually I think I'm going to go lie down," she begged off. "My hip and shoulder are now bothering me. It's been a tiring morning."

"No problem," Dave assured her like it wasn't a big deal but he and Mudgie couldn't quite keep the disappointment from their faces.

Emily caught it and quickly asked, "Can I have a rain check for tomorrow?"

"Sure. We'll be back in a little bit." Dave stood up and let the Lab drag him to the door.

"I'll be here," she said with a wave.

When the door closed behind the duo, Emily blew out a breath of frustration. Why did she promise to go for a walk tomorrow? She had barely screwed up enough courage to get out of the house today. Did she have enough to do it all over again?

* * *

The next two days passed uneventfully. Dave and Emily began to settle into a routine. They would have breakfast together and he would watch her pick at her food. That got him wondering if she was eating while he was gone. So he decided to test his little theory. Friday morning he planned to arrange the refrigerator in a particular order and then check when he got home if anything had been touched.

Afterwards Dave would go to work and worry while Emily spent the day doing nothing. She wasn't sure how long that would last before she started to grow antsy. So, for now, she would abide by the doctor's orders and rest. Turns out that wasn't hard to do, the physical therapy sessions took a lot out of her. Emily also avoided going anywhere near the doors except when Mudgie had to go out. Mudgie tried numerous times to coax her outside to play with him but she refused to budge. He had to settle for bringing the ball in so that Emily could toss it through the open door and back out into the yard.

Their evenings were pretty much the same. Over dinner Dave would tell her about his day, about the cases that came over his desk for a consultation. Often the conversation went on beyond dinner, moving from the table to the living room. Both enjoyed it. Dave because he like seeing her actively engaged in the discussion instead of her normal avoidance of subjects she didn't want to acknowledge. For Emily it felt like she was accomplishing something, finally making a difference.

Dave would try each night to get Emily to go for a walk with him and Mudgie but each time Emily managed to come up with a reasonable sounding excuse not to. He vowed to keep asking until she yes. Once they had exhausted the subject of work, they retreated to more mundane and safe topics until Emily pleaded tiredness and went to bed. Then Dave would putter around or work on his latest book.

Usually Mudgie kept him company but lately the dog had taken to following Emily upstairs and sleeping outside her locked door. So it had been quite a surprise when he went to bed Tuesday night to find Emily's door unlocked and ajar. There was also no sign of his dog. Carefully and silently Dave poked his head in. He could hear Emily's even and steady breathing as she slept and on the floor next to the bed he could just make out the shape of Mudgie. Smiling he retreated closing the door but leaving it open just wide enough for the dog to nose it open if he wanted out.

* * *

When Emily had gone to bed that night, she had had every intention of keeping the door locked for the rest of the night. But after she had turned out the light and crawled under the covers she heard Mudgie plop down with a sigh outside her door. Emily felt guilty. The dog was probably use to wandering in and out of rooms at will and here she was banning him from hers. She had her gun now and that offered more protection than a simple lock so she got up and opened the door a little. Emily got back into bed, checked again that the Glock was under the pillow and was sound asleep by the time the Lab had ventured in.

* * *

Mudgie's head popped up when he heard the lock clicked and the door started to open then stopped. He pushed up into a sitting position, tail sweeping the floor as he waited for his new friend to come out. When she didn't, he nudged it open with his nose and padded over to the bed. After a quick peek to make sure she was there, he circled twice before lying down with a contented sigh. Emily didn't even know he was there until she stepped on him getting out of bed the next morning.

The next night Emily left the door cracked open for him but Mudgie waited until she had turned off the light and gone to sleep before entering and assuming his spot. Some time after two a low moaning woke him from his happy dream of rolling on a smelly, dead fish. Whining softly Mudgie sat up and peered over the top of the bed to see Emily tossing and turning in her sleep. Suddenly she shot upright with a cry of pain, left hand flying up to her injured shoulder. Startled he sank out of sight. From his spot on the floor Mudgie watched her struggle to control her breathing. Eventually she got up and limped over to the chair by the window. Emily wrapped the blanket around her still trembling body and sat down to spend the rest of the night staring out into the darkness. A few minutes later he crept over to her side and rested his head in her lap, gazing up into her face. She didn't look down at him but her fingers inched over to gently rub his ears, taking comfort in his presence.

Thursday night, embolden by their bonding session, Mudgie trotted in before Emily and dropped into his spot next to the bed. Head on paws he watched her get ready for bed and read for a while before dousing the light. When he was sure she was asleep he hopped up and settled down at the foot of the bed. So when a nightmare began to overtake her, Mudgie was prepared. He sidled up to her side and pressed tightly against her, laying his head on her chest. Emily slowly calmed and sank into a deeper sleep. When she woke the next morning, Emily found her fingers tangled in the Lab's soft fur.

Friday started the same as the other mornings did. The friendly greetings. Questions about how each slept. Emily poking at her breakfast. Dave secretly worried. The little nagging reminder to take her medication and ignoring the put upon look she wears. But when the friends said their goodbyes neither were prepared for what was coming.

* * *

The sound of a car door slamming shut jolted Emily out of a light doze. On high alert she jerk upright, gun in hand, the book she had been reading slid from her lap to the floor. Wary eyes focused on the door as footsteps sounded up the walk. Emily's thoughts tumbled through her mind at a dizzying pace. Who was here? It wasn't Dave or any member of the team. They would have called before coming over. It also wasn't a delivery. Dave would have told her that he was expecting a package. So who was it? Nobody knew she was here.

The key turning in the lock had Emily on her feet and around the couch, the gun held up defensively in front of her. Had one of Doyle's henchmen found her and want to avenge his death? She wasn't going to stick around and make herself an easy target. The knob turned and she cast around for a suitable hiding place. Not finding one she could reach before the door opened, Emily was forced to duck behind the couch. With her back pressed against it, she scooted to one end. Heart pounding Emily took a deep breath and peeked around the edge.

A plump, sixty-ish woman with steel gray hair pulled up in a bun stepped in. Purse over one arm she paused to turn off the alarm. Emily's eyes widen in shock. How did she know the code? Firmly under the control of the fantasy her paranoia had weaved around her, Emily did not make the connection that the unassuming woman was Dave's housekeeper. In her mind she was the advance scout scoping out the lay of the land.

Humming the housekeeper headed for the laundry room to fetch her cleaning supplies giving Emily an opportunity to make her escape. Her eyes frantically scanned the room. She had two options and neither one was appealing because both led outside. Unfortunately she didn't have any choice. If she stayed here she would soon be caught. Emily quickly eliminated going out the front door, there was a good chance that she would be seen crossing the open space to reach it. That left the option of retreating to the backyard. Emily took a quick peek to make sure the coast was clear and struggled to her feet. Limping as fast as she could, she made her way to the French doors. Biting her lip in concentration Emily eased it open, slipped through, and closed it quietly behind her.

The freedom of the outdoors did little to calm Emily's nerves. She felt more exposed and vulnerable even though a towering brick wall that was hidden behind large bushes and shrubs enclosed the yard. A roaring noise from inside the house startled her. She melted into the bushes until the rough bricks dug into her back. Looking skyward, Emily took in a couple of shuddering breaths in a useless attempt to calm down. With the gun held tightly against her leg, she inched along the wall until she was able to peer back through the French doors. A loud gasp escaped her lips. The intruder was vacuuming.

The fantasy her fear had wrapped around her mind burst like a pricked balloon. Emily snapped back to reality. Her face burned with shame when it dawned on her that she had run away in fright from Dave's housekeeper. Her legs gave out and she slid down the wall into a heap on the ground. She pulled her knees up and propped her good elbow on one. Resting her forehead on her palm Emily stared morosely at the bushes.

How could she be so stupid to actually believe that someone was out to get her? Before Doyle it had been a strong possibility but now? None of Doyle's old confederates gave a rat's ass about her. They were all too busy fighting over each other to retain control of his network. She sighed. And to let herself be rattled by a housekeeper of all people! A housekeeper, she mentally kicked herself. Not an armed thug but a non-threatening woman who probably had dozens of grandkids, a kind looking grandmother that she should have known about.

Emily's thoughts turned dark. _That's right! She should have known about the housekeeper. Why the hell hadn't Dave told her? It's only a common courtesy to tell your houseguest that your home gets cleaned on Friday's so that said guest doesn't end up hiding in the damn bushes afraid of being killed. But, no! He doesn't even think it is worth mentioning._ The more Emily thought about it the angrier she grew until she was consumed by it.

The French door opened and out came Mudgie in a hurry, ejected from the house because he kept getting in the way of the sweeper. He sat on the patio casually sniffing the air. A rustling to his left behind the bushes caught his attention. Squirrel! He stalked over on quiet paws only to discover her new friend pounding her fist into the ground. Happy to find her outside for a change, he trotted over.

Emily hadn't noticed that Mudgie had come out until he was at her side, bumping her shoulder with his head.

"Mudgie, go away," she said with a sad voice, gently pushing him away with her good hand.

The dog thinking it was a game came back. Emily pushed him a little harder. "Mudgie, I said go away!"

Mudgie returned and Emily's anger boiled over. Since the target of her rage wasn't here she lashed out at the closest thing: his dog.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed and shoved the hapless dog as hard as she could.

The Lab stumbled back, turning his hurt eyes on her. When she saw his expression all her anger evaporated and she realized what she had done. "Oh, Mudgie, I'm…" she started to apologize but the dog tucked his tail between his legs and slunk away.

"Mudgie, come back. Shit!" she swore and rubbed a hand over her face.

Now she felt like a fool. She shouldn't have yelled at him, he doesn't understand what is going on. Also she couldn't be mad at Dave, he never would have intentionally not told her about the housekeeper. He was probably so use to her comings and goings that it simply slipped his mind.

The only person she should be angry at was herself. Again she let her fears overwhelm her. She never use to be like this. Or had she? Maybe she had grown too comfortable with the knowledge that someone or something from her CIA/Interpol days could come back and bite her in the ass. And now that it was gone she didn't know how to live without it. Emily leaned her head against the coarse bricks and stared up at the wispy clouds. She so wanted the old Emily back but she was gone. She died that night on the warehouse floor.

* * *

_Well, we all knew Emily was going to have good days and bad days. Seems like she just had a nasty one. Check back next week to see how she deals with it. Until then and don't forget to let me know what you think._


	6. Chapter 6

_Thanks again for all the nice reviews. Love them all. Now you get to find out how Emily dealt with the aftermath of her paranoia attack. Enjoy._

* * *

The moment Dave stepped through the door and into his home, he knew something had happened. He sensed it more than saw it. To his experienced eye nothing looked out of place. In fact, the whole place looked neater than normal. Oh, yes. Mrs. Mueller was back from her vacation. He moved further in and was greeted by a rather subdued Mudgie. He took a quick pat on the head and then retreated to his rug in front of the fireplace, which was unusual. Most of the time his dog has been attached to Emily's hip.

That was it. He glanced around the living room. There was no Emily. The place was too quiet. Emily had discovered his sound system and she usually had it playing softly in the background when he came home. But today there was only silence.

"Emily?" he called out. "You here?" When he didn't get an answer Dave went to look in his study and entertainment room. No Emily. He even checked the patio even though he highly doubted she was out there. He had a suspicion that she was still hesitant to go outside by herself, having witnessed her pausing at the door before leaving for PT each time.

When he didn't find her on the first floor Dave headed upstairs where he found her bedroom door ajar. He rapped his knuckles lightly on the wood. "Emily?"

Getting no response he pushed it open further and stepped through. He found her sitting in the dark by the window. He came around to stand in front knowing it was not a smart move to sneak up and touch her. He called her name again a little louder.

Emily started and blinked at him. "Dave. I didn't hear you come in."

He smiled. "Obviously." He hunkered down so that she didn't have to crane her neck to see him. "Is something bothering you, Emily?" he asked.

Her eyes darted to his. "No. Why would you think that?" she asked defensively.

"You're sitting here in the dark, staring out the window, lost in your head."

She glanced around the room seeing for the first time that evening had come. Unable to come up with a suitable response she avoided his eyes. "I'm good," she lied.

_Yup. Something is definitely wrong with her_, he concluded. If he pushed harder to get an answer, she would shut down. "Well," he announced, slapping his knees, "since you are good how about some dinner? Any requests?"

Emily shook her head and resumed gazing out the window. "I think I'm going to skip dinner. Thanks for the offer, Dave."

"You should really eat something," he pressed.

"I'm not hungry," she said, again on the defensive. "Actually I think I'm going to call it an early night."

He knew it was her hinting that the conversation was over and she wanted him to leave so that she could continue to brood in solitude.

"Sure," he agreed, his knees creaking as he straightened. He hesitated then rested a hand on her uninjured shoulder. "Get some sleep, Emily. I'll see you in the morning."

She reached up and briefly touched his hand. "I will."

He nodded and then casually tossed out, "I see Mrs. Mueller was here. I hope the two of you got along all right. She was probably thrilled to be able to converse in German with you."

The moment he mentioned his housekeeper's name, he felt Emily stiffen under his hand. _Could Mrs. Mueller be the source of Emily's disquiet? But why? She's harmless unless…._ Then it dawned on him what was wrong.

"Emily, I'm so sorry. I forgot to tell you she was coming didn't I? I'm so use to her being here that it totally slipped my mind. You've must have been surprised when she walked in. I would have been."

"It's fine, Dave," she said.

Dave noted that she dodged answering his question. That meant Mrs. Mueller's unexpected appearance spooked her more than she was letting on. And if she had been startled then the odds were that his housekeeper had been just a startled. Now he had someone else to apologize to. He would have to call her later.

"Okay," he said. "I know this is a little like shutting the barn door after the horse has escaped but Mrs. Mueller will be back on Monday. She cleans every Monday and Friday." He paused wondering if he had forgotten anyone else. "Oh, there is a lawn service but they show up whenever they feel like it."

"Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it," she said.

Silence filled the room. Dave watched her looking out the window at a loss about what to do. He wanted to help her in any way he could, help her understand that she wasn't alone in this. That he and the team were there for her. But right now Emily was too stubborn to admit it and until she did all he could do was to be there for her and catch her when she fell.

Dave sighed softly. "Goodnight, Emily."

"Night."

On his way out Dave paused to turn the lamp on night table on to low, bathing the room in a soft glow. He was sure Emily hadn't noticed but he didn't like the idea of her sitting alone in the dark.

Once back downstairs he went immediately to the kitchen. Before leaving for work this morning he had carefully arranged the refrigerator in a specific order and left a bowl of apples on the counter. It was a test to see if Emily was eating anything during the day. To his disappointment nothing had been touched. She had failed.

Even though Emily had passed on dinner Dave decided to make up a tray for her anyways. As before when he knocked he didn't get an answer. He peeked around the door before entering. She was still where he had left her. He placed the tray on the table next to the chair. "I brought you a tray in case you get hungry later."

If Emily had heard she gave no indication. Dave slipped quietly out of the bedroom and back down the stairs. With Mudgie at his side he took his dinner into the study and settled down at his desk to work on his book. He had planned to spend only a few hours on it but when he looked up from the computer screen he was surprised to see that it was almost midnight.

Dave leaned back in the chair stretching his arms over his head and yawned. "Well, Mudgie, I think its time for us to hit the sack. What do you think?" he asked the dog.

He glanced over at the spot where Mudgie was laying only to discover that the dog was gone. Sometime during the evening the black Lab had abandoned him. Probably off sleeping next to Emily's bed. Chuckling he powered down the computer, switched off all the lights and headed upstairs to turn in.

As always he paused outside Emily's room. The door was still ajar but the room was now dark. On the floor in the hall sat the tray he had brought up earlier. He was happy to see that Emily had eaten everything he had prepared for once. Cracking the door open he peeked in to check on her, something he started doing when she began leaving it unlocked. With the light from the hallway dimly illuminating the room, he could see her lying on her back sound asleep. With her arm stuck in the sling it was the only position she said she could sleep in. What did surprise him was that Mudgie was stretched out next to her on the bed and Emily had her hand resting on the dog's back, fingers curled in his fur. Smiling he closed the door and went to bed.

* * *

The next morning Emily seemed more like her normal self, acting as if nothing had happened yesterday. After serving her breakfast, Dave retreated to his study to make his apology phone call to his housekeeper.

Mrs. Mueller picked up the phone on the second ring. _"Hallo?"_ she answered with a thick German accent.

"Helga, it's David Rossi," he said.

"_Ah, Herr Rossi. I do something wrong? I clean house like you tell me,"_ she said, immediately jumping to the wrong conclusion that he was calling to complain about her cleaning skills.

"Nothing is wrong," he said quickly. "The house is impeccable as always. Actually I was calling to apologize."

"_For what?"_ she asked in confusion.

"For not informing you ahead of time that a fellow agent will be staying at my place for awhile. I'm sure you were alarmed when you walked in and found Agent Prentiss there."

"_I not see her."_

Dave sat up straighter. "You didn't?" he asked in surprise.

"Nein. I clean whole house and changed sheets in both bedrooms. I not see anyone. Fraulein Prentiss must have been out when I come."

"You're probably right, Helga," he said, his mind whirling at the implications. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you on your day off."

"_It no problem, Herr Rossi. You have a good weekend. Auf __Wiedersehen__._"

"You too. Goodbye," Dave said and hung up. He rose to his feet and walked slowly to the door of his study. He leaned against the doorframe, watching Emily push her breakfast around her plate. His forehead creased in perplexity. _Where the hell had Emily been yesterday?_

* * *

Dave had just stepped out of the thrift shop into the vestibule of the church his old friend Jimmy was pastor of when he heard a familiar voice call out his name.

"Davy, what brings you here today? Usually you pop up every five years but this time its only three and half."

He chuckled as the two men hugged and exchanged slaps on the back. "I was just dropping off some used clothing for a friend of mine."

Jimmy nodded. "Please thank your friend for me. We need all the donations we can get."

"I will."

The Priest's face assumed a sober look. "I heard about Agent Prentiss' untimely passing. I'm sorry for you loss, Davy. She seemed to be a kind and caring person. Even though I met her that one time, I liked her."

Dave gave his friend a wry smile. "Lets just say that the news of her death have been greatly exaggerated."

Jimmy's eyebrows shot up. "So she is…"

"Alive and kicking."

"That is good news indeed." He studied his friend then gestured to the church. "Lets have a seat. Something seems to be bothering you."

Dave sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

"Yes," Jimmy said with a smile. "Now sit and tell me what is weighing so heavy on you?"

The two friends settled into the pews across from each other. Dave rubbed his goatee thoughtfully trying to marshal his thoughts. In the past he had found it helpful at times to talk things out with an impartial third party, psychologists being the exception. He also didn't want to reveal that it was Emily he was talking about. He tried to choose his words carefully.

"I have a friend," he began, "who is staying with me while they are recovering from injuries sustained in an accident. To get them to stay at my place I had to promise not to get involved, to let them deal with it in their own way."

Jimmy rested an arm on the back of the pew. "But you've seen some things that give you pause to worry."

Dave nodded. "I've seen a few behaviors that may be detrimental to my friend's physical and mental healing."

"May I ask a question about your friend?"

"Sure," he said cautiously.

"Is your friend stubborn?"

Dave couldn't help but grin. "One of the most bull headed persons I have ever met."

"I see." Jimmy gazed down the aisle to the altar thinking. A minute passed before he turned back to Dave. "I think you need to confront your friend on what you have been observing. If this person is as stubborn as you say they are, they won't like what you have to say. They may be pissed off at you for a while but in the end they will thank you for it."

Dave silently mulled over his words.

Jimmy leaned forward. "Did I help any?"

"You did," he said with a nod. He stood up and held out his hand. "Thank, Jimmy. You were a big help."

His friend returned the handshake. "Glad to be of service. Now don't wait another five years to come and visit," he said with a grin.

Dave let out a laugh. "I won't." With a parting slap on the shoulder he turned to leave. When he reached the doors, Jimmy called out to him. He paused, hand resting on the aged wood.

"Take good care of her," the Priest said with a wink.

Dave shook his head in amusement and wagged a knowing finger at him. Grinning he stepped out into the afternoon sun. As he drove home, he replayed the conversation over in his mind. Jimmy was right. He had to confront Emily about her eating habits. He had wanted to but he had to have a second opinion before he acted. Would Emily be upset? That would be the understatement of the year. He would be lucky if he came out with all his skin intact. He decided in the end to hold off until dinner just in case she started finishing her meals. If she did then there was no need for this painful conversation.

* * *

Dinner started as normal. Dave prepared a meal that he said was to die for. Emily took her place at the table with Mudgie lying on her feet. Both dug in and Dave filled her in on his day yesterday since they hadn't talked last night. Halfway through the meal Emily started to pick at her meal. Dave watched for a few minutes before wiping his mouth with the napkin and setting it down on the table.

It's all or nothing, he thought. "Emily, can I talk to you about something?"

Emily put down her fork. "Sure."

"I know I promised to let you deal with your trauma in your own way but I can't continue to watch what you are doing to yourself. I have to say something."

She stilled at his words. Her eyes narrowed and she asked in a low voice. "And what exactly am I doing to myself?"

"You're neglecting your health by not eating enough," he said softly.

Emily went on the defensive. "It's the medications I'm on. They throw off my appetite."

"I'm sure they do. When I spoke to your doctor she said it is probably the way your body responses to any kind of medicine especially pain killers. But regardless of that you still have to eat properly so you can regain your strength quicker."

"You spoke to my doctor?" Her eyes burned with anger and her voice went flat and unemotional. "Behind my back?"

Dave nodded, not flinching at her tone. "I did. I was worried about you. She also hinted that when she sees you next time she would like to see that you've put on a little weight. I would too."

Emily wanted to say _'try getting stab with a table leg in the gut and spending months in the hospital. See how much weight you lose'_ but she didn't. It was her burden alone to bear. She doesn't expect anyone to understand. "You have no idea what its like," she growled.

Dave remained calm and collected, constantly reminding himself that he was talking to a friend in crisis and not interrogating a suspect. "Emily, I cannot even begin to comprehend what you have gone through. None of us can. I won't be able to understand until you let me in but I know you're not ready and I recognize that it will be a long time until you are."

"Back off, Dave," she warned. He had no right to interfere. He had promised.

He ignored her. "But this isn't about that. You're picking at the meals I make and I know for a fact that you are not eating anything at all during the day."

"How would you know that? You aren't here. Wait!" She glanced around the room. "Are you watching me?" Her eyes widen in indignation.

Dave jerked back in his chair. "What? No. I would never do that to you. That would be a violation of your privacy."

"Isn't this whole conversation an invasion of my privacy?" she shot back.

He shook his head. "No, this is a concerned friend talking it over with the friend he is worried about. And the reason I know you're not eating it because I know what is in my refrigerator and I can tell you haven't touched anything." He left out the minor detail that he had rigged the fridge. Emily was already mad and it was about to get a whole lot worse.

"It doesn't seem so to me." She had had enough of this nonsense. Emily pushed away from the table. "I'm leaving."

Dave sighed. He didn't want to say what he was going to. He was about to come off sounding like an irate father. "Emily, I'm afraid I'm going to have to put my foot down. As long as you are residing under this roof, you are going to finish every meal I place before you."

Emily stared at him in shock. _Did he actually say that? That he had the gall to treat her like she was a child?_ She felt her anger ratchet up to another level. If she could have crossed her arms she would have. "What are you going to do if I don't? Make me sit at the table until I clean my plate like a good little girl?" she asked snidely.

Dave returned her stare unwavering. "If it comes down to that then yes. Your health is the most important thing to me." He pulled out a notepad and set it before her. "I think one of the problems is that I may not have the foods you are fond of. If you would make a list I'll run out to the store and pick them up for you."

Emily shot daggers at the man. She was beyond pissed. She actually hated him at the moment. When she trusted someone she went in wholeheartedly. When they did something to shake it, like breaking a promise, Emily felt betrayed and she had enough betrayals to last her for a lifetime. Normally she would retreat but Dave had her in a corner. She had nowhere else to go. No apartment, no credit cards that she could use to stay at a hotel. She was screwed from the time being.

"Fine," she growled, snatching up the pad. With her left hand she clumsily made out a barely legible list. When she was done, Emily threw it at him before storming off to her room.

* * *

'Fine' was the last word Emily spoke to Dave for the next week. Otherwise she avoided him like the plague. Whenever he was home she stayed in her room, only coming down for breakfast and dinner. She would eat whatever he placed in front of her, slam the fork down on the table when she was done while glaring at him and then retreat back to her room.

Dave gave Emily all the space she needed to work through it. He accepted the shunning graciously. She had every right to be ticked off at him. He had broken his promise and had butted in where it was not wanted. She'll come around eventually when she accepted that he only had her well being at heart. Until then he would try to make things easier for her. He arranged for JJ to take over, temporarily, taking Emily to her physical therapy sessions figuring the last place Emily would want to be right now was in the tight confines of his car with him.

A few days later, after the blowup, Hotch approached Dave as he pouring a fresh cup of coffee. The Unit Chief casually leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. He was aware of the sudden change in who was driving Emily to her appointments and was curious as to why.

"How are things going at your place?" He probed nonchalantly.

Dave focused intently on stirring sugar into his coffee. "It's been a quiet week."

Hotch arched an eyebrow and the corner of his mouth curled into a small smile. "So you have finally managed to piss Prentiss off?"

Dave raised the mug to his lips and took a sip. 'You have no idea."

* * *

_Wow! Lesson to all. Do not, I repeat, do not piss Emily off. ;) Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Do stop in next week for the next installment. In the meantime let me know what ya'll think. Until then._


	7. Chapter 7

_Welcome back everyone. Hope your week was good. Mine has, been writing like a fool on this fic and fiddling with others I have in progress. So many stories so little time. Now lets get on to the next chapter and see if Emily has forgiven Dave or is making him sweat it out for another week. Enjoy._

* * *

Mudgie dropped the tennis ball in Emily's lap, backed up and with his tail going around in circles waiting for her to throw it. Emily picked it up, bounced it in her hand a couple of times watching with amusement as he followed its ups and downs with his eyes. Next came the part she loved the most. The moment she cocked her arm to throw the dog was out the door in a flash and halfway across the yard searching the grass eagerly for the ball she still held in her hand. Emily laughed at his silly antics. It felt good to laugh. Oh she had laughed since she had returned but usually did it to fit the situation. But this was genuine laughter from deep within her soul, something that had been missing for a long time.

Emily pitched the ball through the open French doors as hard as she could. It didn't go as far as it would have if she had able to use her right arm but it was enough for Mudgie to pounce on it. Ball in mouth he dashed off behind the garage. What he did back there Emily had no clue and she wasn't about to venture outside to find out. While she waited for him to return Mrs. Mueller came in.

"Guten Tag, Fraulein Prentiss," the housekeeper said wishing her a good afternoon. She didn't bat an eye that Emily was sitting on the kitchen chair she had dragged within safe distance of the doors to play ball with Mudgie.

"Nachmittag, Frau Mueller. Wie geht es ihnen heute?" Emily asked how she was in German.

Emily and Mrs. Mueller met officially on Monday. Once again she had been reclining on the couch reading when she had heard the key in the lock. This time she did not run away though she did tense and clutched the grip of the gun tightly. When she saw who it was, she tucked the Glock in the small of her back and pulled her tee shirt over it. Once the housekeeper learned that she could speak fluent German she launched into a fast conversation with plenty of hand gesturing. Emily had a rough time following at first since her German was rusty, having not used it in awhile but after a few minutes in was second nature to her like her other languages.

"Ich bin gut. Und wie geht es dir?"

"Gut. Danke fur die Nachfrage." Emily smiled, thanking her for asking how she was doing.

The two women exchanged a few more pleasantries. Emily inquired about her grandkids and she asked how her week has been. Then they parted, Mrs. Mueller to her cleaning and Emily to her game of delayed fetch much to Mudgie's delight.

When the dog had disappeared behind the garage with his prize again, Emily debated about letting Dave off the hook. He had only brought it up because he had been worried about her. And as much as she hated to admit it he had been right. Her appetite had been off since her first hospital stay all those months ago and instead of doing something about it she let it become a bad habit. Even back then her doctor had been after her to gain some weight. She let her stubbornness get in the way of her recovery and it took a dear friend to call her out on it and throw it back in her face.

Mudgie trotted back in and she scratched his ears as he gave her the ball. "Maybe it is time."

* * *

Dave had a flash of déjà vu when he came home that night. Something had happened but it was a good thing this time. The moment he set foot inside he heard music. His face broke into a crooked grin and walked quickly into the living room. Emily was sitting on the couch, feet resting on the coffee table, book face down on her lap with her eyes closed. Mudgie was curled up next to her. He knew she wasn't asleep; one foot was keeping time with the music.

"Hey," he said.

Emily opened her eyes and gave him a small smile. "Hey."

Dave came around the coffee table and bent over to pet the Lab, his eyes never leaving her face. "Are we good?"

She met his gaze and nodded. "We're good."

He straightened and dumped his briefcase and coat on the nearest chair, happy that she was talking to him again. He rubbed his hands together. "Any requests for dinner?"

"Surprise me," she said with a shake of her head.

Dave nodded and went into the kitchen where he started to rummage through the fridge. Emily got up to follow him. She limped over to the cabinets to get the plates and glasses so that she could set the table.

"Table or island?" she asked him while getting the utensils out of the drawer.

"Your choice," he said, glancing up from the chicken breasts he was cutting into strips.

"Island," she decided and quickly laid out the place settings.

Emily then pulled out the stool and watched Dave putter happily around the kitchen. Every now and then he would glance up from the chicken alfredo he was preparing and smiled lopsidedly at her. Emily would return the smile.

"Dave?" she asked, breaking the comforting silence.

He looked up from stirring the sauce. "Yes, Emily?"

"Thank you," she said softly with a slight nod of her head.

Dave gazed into her dark brown eyes and saw nothing but sincerity. He winked at her. "Anytime, kiddo."

* * *

That night Emily went to bed before him as usual and he stayed up later than normal finishing the latest chapter, buoyed by the thaw in their friendship. He felt that they had grown a little closer after helping Emily, somewhat reluctantly on her part, over a major hurdle on her long road to recovery. It was during times like this that he considered her the daughter he never had and always wanted. Dave was very proud of her and all her accomplishments though he would never tell Emily that. She would probably think he had a screw loose and he highly doubted she thought of him in any other way except as a good friend.

Feeling like an overprotective father he stopped to check on her before going to bed. Instead of finding her sleeping peacefully he caught Emily in the throes of a nightmare. With the covers tangled around her legs, Emily tossed and turned on the bed, mumbling under her breath, the fingers of her left hand digging into the mattress while her right arm fought to free itself from the sling. Mudgie sat at the far end of the bed at a loss about what to do. He let out a low whine when Dave entered the room.

Dave wasn't sure what to do. He was well aware that Emily was having nightmares, some nights he could hear her pacing in her room but he hadn't mentioned them yet knowing she would deny it. He didn't want to let her suffer through it but he also didn't want to wake her. If he chose the later Emily would be mortified to find him in her bedroom and for having him witness what she considered a sign of weakness. He decided to try and calm her without waking her.

As quietly as he could Dave approached the bed and knelt down. He hesitated then slipped his hand under hers. He winced when Emily clamped onto his hand with an iron grip. He laid his other on top and ran his thumb lightly over the back of her hand.

"I'm right here, Emily," he said softly. "You're safe. I won't let anyone hurt you."

He kept repeating it over and over until she gradually began to calm. Her frantic movements stilled, her breathing slowed and evened out and Dave felt her death grip on his hand ease. He waited for a few more minutes before he slid his hand out of her grasp. Emily let out a small moan. She shivered and brought her hand up to her chest. He stood up, untangled the blankets from her legs, taking great care not to disturb her and covered her up. Dave froze when she sighed and rolled her head to one side. Emily didn't wake but sank deeper into sleep.

Mudgie crept up and stretched out along her side and rested his head on Emily's thigh. When Dave smiled at him the Lab thumped his tail softly on the bed. He pointed a finger at the dog and whispered, "You keep her safe tonight."

* * *

BRINNGG!

Emily groaned and pried her sleep crusted eyes open. "Who the hell is calling this early?" she groused.

She blindly groped for her phone on the nightstand almost knocking it to the floor in the process. She scooped it up and squinted through one eye at the display. Hotch. Sighing she put the phone to her ear.

"You better have a good reason for calling at this god forsaken hour," she said testily.

Hotch's deep chuckle came over the line. _"Prentiss, it's noon."_

"It's what?" She rolled over partially on to her side and peered at the clock. It read twelve ten. "Shit. I'm sorry about that, Hotch."

"It's good to see that you are following doctor's orders and are getting plenty of rest."

She snorted. "Yeah, right. What can I do for you?"

He chuckled again. _"Actually I'm not calling for myself. Are you up to conversing with a certain little man that is dying to talk to you?"_

At the same time in the background Emily could hear Jack. _"Daddy, did Em'ly say yes? Did she? Did she?"_ She could picture him bouncing up and down in excitement, trying to grab the phone out of his father's hands. She sat up and leaned back against the headboard.

"I would love to," she said smiling.

Jack's eager voice came over the phone. _"Hi, Em'ly."_

"Hi, Jack."

"Daddy, says you're having a sleepover with Uncle Dave."

Hotch choked in the background. Emily laughed at her boss' discomfort and Jack's innocence. "Yes, I'm staying at Uncle Dave's place until I'm better and I find a new apartment."

"_Are you having fun?"_ he asked.

Emily thought back to the silent treatment she had given Dave, the fear of going outside, hiding from the housekeeper, grueling physical therapy sessions and playing fetch with Mudgie. "Loads," she said aloud.

"If you get bored with Uncle Dave you can stay with me and Daddy. You can stay in my room and you can bring Sergio if you want. I like him."

She idly wondered how much Sergio actually liked Jack. She was sure the fondness only went one way. The cat wasn't use to being around kids. "That's very sweet of you, Jack," she told him, smiling into the phone. "I'll keep it in mind."

"_When are we going to the zoo like you promised?"_ The little boy blurted out. In the background Hotch said, _"Jack!"_

The question caught Emily off guard and apparently Hotch judging from the tone of his voice. "Ummm…" she stammered, at a loss for words.

The zoo. Just thinking of all that open space and people sent chills up her spine. She didn't think she could handle it; she could barely force herself out the door to go to physical therapy. But she had promised, though at the time she had she hadn't realized how screwed up she really was. It would break Jack's heart if she said no. He had been waiting so patiently to go for a month, enduring the two weeks she spent in the hospital and the two weeks she has been at Dave's. She couldn't let him down.

Emily screwed up her courage, bit her lip and said, "How about Monday?"

Jack squealed in delight and she couldn't help but smile. _"Em'ly said yes, Daddy! She said we can go Monday."_

Hotch's apologetic voice came over the line. _"I'm sorry, Emily. I didn't know he was going to ask you that. I just thought he wanted to hear your voice and tell you what he has been up to."_

"It's okay, Hotch," she reassured him.

"_Are you sure you're up to this?"_ Concern echoed in his voice.

Emily desperately wanted to say no she wasn't. "Yes, I'm sure, she said instead.

"_Okay then. What time do you want us to pick you up?"_

She thought about it. "Ummm…does ten work for you?"

"_It does."_ His voice grew quieter. _"Again, are you sure, Emily? No harm done if you want to change your mind."_

Hotch was giving her an out and she was sorely tempted to take him up on it but she couldn't disappoint Jack. When you make a promise you keep it. "I'm positive, Hotch. I've been looking forward to this." Emily wasn't exactly lying; she enjoyed spending time with him. Sometimes it was the closest she ever figured she would get to motherhood.

"_Alright. Jack wants to talk to you again,"_ he said and she heard him passing the phone to his son.

"_Thanks, Em'ly, for saying you will go. I can't wait," _he said excitedly.

"Neither can I, Sport."

"Cool. Gotta go. Bye."

"Bye," she managed to get out before he hung up.

Emily dropped the dead phone in her lap to run her hand through her hair. She had two days to conquer her fear of the great outdoors or, at least, beat it into submission for a few worry free hours.

* * *

An hour later Emily made an appearance downstairs. Dave barely glanced up from the newspaper as Mudgie gave her an enthusiastic welcome. "I was seriously considering sending in the cavalry to find you," he teased.

"Sorry. I overslept," she said as she sat down on the couch and began rifling through the paper in search of the New York Times crossword puzzle. It was a habit she had picked up from Gideon.

Dave watched her fold the section into a square with one hand once she found it. Wordlessly he passed Emily a pen when she was done. "Thanks," she said and set the puzzle on her leg.

"Rough night?" he asked casually, testing the waters to see if she would admit to it.

Emily froze for a brief second and then focused all her attention on the crossword. _Damn! He knows about the nightmares._ "Yeah," she admitted, never taking her eyes off the paper and chewing absently on the pen.

"Do you want to talk about the nightmares?" he asked, giving the elephant in the room a name. She shook her head. "You know in our line of work we all get them. There is nothing wrong in talking about it."

"I know." She refused to look at him and worked a few more clues before saying, "I don't remember them," she lied.

"Then that's that," he said, dropping the subject and returning to his paper.

Emily sneaked a peek at him and slowly and quietly let out the breath she had been holding. She was thankful that he hadn't pursued it any further. She vividly remembered each and every nightmare that she was struggling to keep locked away in the deepest recesses of her mind. Talking about them would only bring them back to the forefront and she wasn't ready to relive them.

After a few minutes she put the pen down and turned to Dave. "While upstairs I got a phone call from Jack."

Dave looked up from the sport section and smiled. "That's nice. What did Mini Hotch want?"

Emily smirked at the Austin Powers reference. "He wanted to know when I was going to take him to the zoo to see the red pandas."

He rested an arm on the back of the couch, giving her his full attention. "And what did you tell him?"

"I said yes." She let out a small laugh. "And then arranged with Hotch to go on Monday."

Dave silently cheered. Finally Emily was going to venture out of the house of her own volition. It only took a six year old to nudge her in the right direction. For a moment he had thought she was going to say that she turned him down. He was pleased she had proven him wrong.

"That is great, Emily. It sounds like fun," he observed with a grin.

"Yeah, I think so too," she admitted, a little surprised that she was starting to look forward to the outing.

As happy as he was for her, the concerned father side of him butted in. Dave's eyes filled with worry. "Emily, are you sure you are up for this?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?" she grumbled. "First Hotch and now you."

"Because you've only been out of the hospital for a few weeks. We just don't want you to over exert yourself. Your doctor would kill us."

She sighed. "I'll be fine, Dave. It's just a trip to the zoo. I don't plan on walking the whole place. We'll go see the red pandas and probably visit the exhibits that are nearby. That will limit how far I have to walk," she explained.

"Sounds like you have thought it out."

"I have." Emily had given it quite a bit of thought while she had taken a shower before coming down.

"Then you have my permission to go and have fun," he said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Gee thanks, Dad. Excuse me. Dave," she said drolly.

Dave laughed, pleased to see her sense of humor resurfacing. It had been missing in action since the day he had brought her home from the hospital. "Tell you what. I'll even pack a lunch for both of you." He rubbed his goatee thoughtfully. "I wonder what kids eat today?"

Emily frowned. "Well, don't look at me. This is going to be the first time that I have spent a substantial amount of time alone with Jack. Hotch is the one who takes care of all that kind of stuff."

"Hmmm…guess I'll have to wing it. How hard can it be?"

* * *

_Shudder! I wonder what concoction he is going to come up with. Well come back next week and see. Don't forget to let me know what you think. All reviews are greatly appreciated. Until then._


	8. Chapter 8

_Welcome back, everyone. Now lets head for the zoo. Enjoy._

* * *

Emily was ready to kill Hotch by the time they had pulled up in front of the zoo entrance. The morning had started off on the right foot. She had gotten up early, luckily it had been a nightmare free night, and had dressed in comfortable jeans and shoes that Dave had kindly tied for her. As promised Dave had packed them a lunch but he refused to tell her what it was which left her worrying that it was some odd concoction that Jack would turn his nose up at.

The lunches, along with two bottles of water and her pain meds, were tucked into a small backpack that Jack could carry. In the pockets of the oversize jacket that Emily had been borrowing from Dave, she stuck her cell phone, some spending money and, unbeknownst to anyone, her gun. In her mind the zoo was still a dangerous place. Jack had been kidnapped from there once and she was going to do everything within her power to make sure that it never happened again.

Promptly at ten o'clock the doorbell rang. When Dave opened the door, Jack rushed through. "Em'ly!" he shouted. He dashed over, slammed into her, wrapping his arms around her legs. She had to take a step back to stay on her feet. "I missed you."

Emily reached down to tousle his hair. "I missed you too," she said, smiling fondly.

He grinned up at her. "Your face looks better."

She laughed. "Yeah, it does." The two black eyes Emily had been sporting had almost faded away, there were still traces of yellow and green but her makeup hid them.

Jack latched on to her hand and started tugging. "Em'ly lets go."

Hotch, having followed his son in at a more sedate pace, spoke up, "Easy there, Buddy. Remember what I said?"

He let go of her hand and looked down at his shoes. "Not to pull on Em'ly cause she still is having trouble walking."

"It's okay, Hotch," she said quickly. "I'm not going to break." She tousled the boy's hair again. "Well, I'm ready. Shall we get this show on the road?"

Jack's face brightened and eagerly led everyone out to the car not giving Emily a chance to balk at going outside. While he scrambled into the back she grudgingly permitted Hotch to help her into the front seat. As he was checking that his son was properly buckled in Dave placed the backpack at her feet and winked. "Have fun."

"I will," she said with a smile and let him close the door.

On the drive over Hotch began peppering her with questions. He wanted to know if she had taken her pain meds, if she had everything she needed in her bag, would she call if she got tired. It got to the point that she started to answer each one with a 'yes, Hotch'.

In front of the zoo Emily finally voiced what had been running through her head for the last couple of miles. "So help me god, Hotch, if you don't stop acting like a mother hen I will beat you senseless with my crutch."

She smiled in amusement when Jack repeated her mother hen comment. Hotch eventually threw in the towel, called her incorrigible and left the two of them to their own devices.

The rest of the afternoon went smoothly. They went immediately to the red panda exhibit where Emily asked for Michelle. The young woman took them through the door marked 'employee's only' and into the area where the animals spent the time when not on exhibit. The zookeeper took pity on Emily and found her a chair to sit on, placing it close enough to the enclosure so that she could easily hear the lecture. Jack was thrilled just to be so close to the red pandas. Emily smiled as she watched him hang on to every word Michelle said, eyes glued on the frolicking cubs.

After the tour Jack and Emily continued along the Asia Trail stopping to view the other exhibits. Normally when he was at the zoo with his Father or Aunt Jessica he would be a few feet ahead of them craning his head to take in everything at one time and urging them to walk faster. And when something caught his eye he would dash back, grab their hand and drag them over to what he wanted to see.

Jack didn't do any of those with Emily. He stayed at her side, holding on to the hem of her jacket since she only had one good hand and it was wrapped around the grip of the crutch. But he was content, happily prattling on about the animals they had seen so far: the red pandas, the fishing cats, the clouded leopards and the otters.

Emily was also enjoying herself; she couldn't remember the last time she had been to the zoo. It must have been when she was real little and the nanny, not her mother, had taken her. Even though she was having a good time Emily remained hyper vigilant, eyes constantly scanning their surroundings. She had thought she was doing a good job at hiding it when Jack had called her out on it while they were eating.

They were under the pavilion dining on their lunches of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (it had been years since she had one), an apple, crackers and string cheese. Emily had picked a spot where she could sit with her back to a wall and give her an unimpeded view. Jack noticed she was always looking over his head, eyes sweeping the crowd.

He cocked his grape jelly smeared face to one side. "Em'ly? Who are you looking for?" he asked innocently.

Emily blinked and looked down at him. "Huh?"

Jack peeked over his shoulder. "Who are you looking for?" he repeated.

She plastered on a fake smile and said, "No one, Sport." To cover up her discomfort she picked up a napkin and wiped his face. "It's just an old habit."

"Okay," he said with a shrug and attacked the other half of his sandwich, satisfied with her answer.

Emily slowly let out the breath she had been holding. _Damn, he is observant,_ she noted ruefully. _I need to do a better job at schooling my expressions and body language._ She pulled out the map of the zoo. "So, Jack, what do you say when we are finished with lunch we head over to Cheetah Conservation Station and see the zebras and gazelles?" He nodded vigorously with a mouth full of peanut butter.

At each exhibit Jack had Emily read aloud the various descriptions of the animals and habitats while he pressed as close to the glass or railing to get the best angle, pointing them out to her. Also he had discovered the digital camera Dave had discretely slipped into the backpack and was now taking pictures of everything. Emily managed to avoid getting in any of them, not wanting to be captured in perpetuity looking like she had lost a fight. She did give in when Jack wanted a picture with her in front of the zoo's resident giant pandas. She knelt down and wrapped her arm around him pulling him close while he draped his arm over her shoulders. Both grinned for the young man who kindly offered to take the picture.

* * *

Later they decided to call it a day and Emily called Hotch to come and pick them up. When he pulled up at the entrance the two of them were sitting on a bench, Jack hugging a stuffed sea otter that Emily had bought for him at the gift shop. Before Hotch had pulled the car away from the curb Jack was telling his father all about their day. Hotch smiled indulgently at his son through the rearview mirror.

After Jack had fallen asleep mid-sentence Hotch turned his attention to Emily. She had been sitting quietly gazing out the window listening fondly to Jack's ramblings. "So did you have as much fun as Jack?" he asked.

She looked over at him and smiled. "I did. Thanks, Hotch, for letting me take him."

He returned her smile. "You're welcome, Emily. He was beside himself in eager anticipation the whole weekend."

She glanced back over her shoulder at the sleeping boy. "I can believe that."

While Jack had been looking forward to the trip Emily had been dreading it most of the time. She had been worried that her paranoia would paralyze her but it didn't. It had been with her the entire time, lurking about the edges of her mind but she had survived it and that made her feel good.

When they pulled up in front of Rossi's, Emily stopped Hotch from reaching back and waking Jack so that he could say goodbye.

"Let him sleep, Hotch," she said. "It was a busy day for him."

He paused. "You sure?"

"Positive." Emily opened door and climbed out before he had a chance to get out and help her. "Just tell him I had a wonderful time and when I am one hundred percent I would love to go back with him and see the rest of the zoo."

"I will."

"Great." She reached back in, snagged the backpack by one of its straps and flung it over her good shoulder. "Oh," she said as she started to shut the door. "I almost forgot this." Emily stuck her hand into the jacket pocket and fished out the camera. "Jack filled up the memory card with pictures," she explained as she handed it over.

Hotch took the camera. "Thanks. Would it be okay if Jack calls you later?"

"Of course it is," she said with a smile. "Bye, Hotch." She closed the car door and stepped back. She gave a small wave as he drove away.

* * *

Dave and Mudgie met her at the front door. "So how did it go? You were there for a long time," he asked as he relieved Emily of the backpack.

"It was good. We had fun," she said as she limped over to the couch. She eased down on to it and propped the crutch next to her. "I'm glad I went." Emily unconsciously rubbed her hip.

"Do you want one of your pain pills? Looks like your hip is bothering you," Dave observed.

Emily glanced down at the offending hand and smiled. "Please. It is aching a little," she admitted.

"One pill and water coming up," he quipped. Dave went over to the island and upended the backpack looking for the orange pill bottle.

"Jack wanted me to tell you that your P&B sandwich was one of the best he ever had though his Aunt Jessica's are still better," Emily said and started to take off her jacket.

Dave grinned. "I can't take all the credit for it," he said, turning his back on her to get down a drinking glass. "I had to call JJ to find out what kids his age liked. She was greatly amused at how clueless I was."

Chuckling Dave filled the glass, shook a pill out of the bottle and turned around. He smiled. Emily had fallen asleep with the jacket half off. He set the pill and glass down on the counter and quietly approached the couch. Before conking out Emily had shrugged the jacket off her bad shoulder and pulled it out from behind her back. Her left arm was still in the sleeve.

Dave carefully pulled the jacket off the rest of the way. He was a bit surprised at how heavy it felt especially on the left side. But when he thought about it, it made perfect sense. With her right hand out of commission Emily would naturally keep everything she needed in the left pocket. Mystery solved Dave laid the jacket on the coffee table while Emily was blissfully unaware of how close he had come to discovering her backup gun.

He studied the slumbering figure on the couch. Emily had her head tilted back and turned to one side in, what Dave thought, an awkward angle. "That has to be uncomfortable," he mused to Mudgie. "If I leave her that way she's going to wake up with a stiff neck. Maybe I should move her. What do you think?" The dog sneezed in approval.

Before attempting to move her Dave went up to Emily's bedroom to fetch a pillow and the blanket Penelope had given her. Back down stairs he debated how to go about it. However he did it he doubted he would accidentally wake her. Emily was so out of it that a mariachi band could have marched through the room and she wouldn't have even noticed.

Dave placed the pillow at the left end of the couch and then moved the crutch out of the way. Gently he eased her down on to her side. Then he swung her legs up, which, in turn, pivoted her body into a prone position. He slipped off her shoes and spread the blanket over her. Emily sighed, partially rolled back on to her side and snuggled deeper under the blanket.

* * *

Emily woke up warm and confused. This wasn't her bed. She sat up yawning and blinked lazily around. Her sleep-clogged mind slowly kicked into gear. This was Dave's living room and it seems like she had fallen asleep on the couch after coming back from the zoo.

She yawned again and ran her hand through her hair. "I must have been more tired than I had thought," she said to the empty room.

She swung her legs over the side of the couch and groaned when the hip protested. It felt like it always did after one of her annoying physical therapy sessions. Her eyes fell on the coffee table and smiled. "Good old, Dave, my resident pill pusher" she observed wryly looking at the glass of water and her prescription. As she washed down the pain med Emily wondered where he was.

The sound of a key being turned in the lock had Emily reaching for her gun only to realize at the last second she no longer was wearing her jacket. She was searching under the blanket for it as Dave and Mudgie came in from their evening walk.

"Hey, sleepyhead," he called out in greeting. "How was your nap?"

Emily glanced sharply at him. "Where is my jacket?"

Dave paused in unhooking the leash. "I took it up to your room along with your crutch and shoes. Why?"

"My cell phone is in the pocket." Emily didn't care about the phone; she was more concerned about the gun.

"I can go get it for you," he offered, straightening up and heading for the stairs.

She waved him off, not wanting him to find the weapon. "It's okay. You don't have to, Dave. I just didn't know where it was. I remember I was wearing the jacket when I fell asleep."

Freed, Mudgie rushed off to the laundry room to inhale his water bowl. Dave chuckled as he sat in the chair opposite of her and stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankles. "Actually you fell asleep with it halfway off. I just helped you the rest of the way."

"I did?" she asked, scrunching up her face in confusion.

"Yup. You must have been really tired. You slept through dinner."

At the mention of dinner Emily's stomach growled loudly. To cover her embarrassment she focused on rearranging the blanket over her legs. Dave raised an eyebrow. "A tad hungry?" he asked, amused.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled sheepishly. "Beyond famished. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is only so filling."

"I hope you ate more than that." Now he looked concerned. He had thought they had put her eating issue to rest.

Emily chuckled at the look on his face. "Still monitoring my food intake I see. And to set your mind at ease I ate everything you packed. I even finished off the rest of Jack's crackers."

Dave joined in. "You got me. Was I sounding too fatherly again?"

"A little." She smiled shyly and dropped her eyes down to the blanket plucking at imaginary lint. "But I like it. I didn't get much from my own Father." If she had been given the opportunity as a child to choose a father she would have chosen one just like David Rossi. That was how she felt about him at times.

Dave's chest swelled in pride at the compliment. Emily had just revealed a small part of herself and he was proud to be the recipient. He got up, stopped to pat her shoulder then went to the kitchen. Emily tossed the blanket aside and made a move to follow him.

He made a gesture for her to remain seated and she sank back down and recovered her legs. "You stay put. I'll bring dinner to you. I saved you a plate."

"So how was the zoo?" he asked after handing Emily her dinner and settling down on the other end of the couch.

He sat back and watched her intently as she told him about the trip around fork full of spaghetti. He could tell immediately that the outing had done her a world of good. Emily's eyes were bright and she was gesturing animatedly with one hand. _I have to get her outside more often,_ he thought. But, like the eating issue, it was easier said than done. To his knowledge the only time, besides this trip to the zoo, Emily leaves the house is to grudgingly go to physical therapy. Otherwise, she politely comes up with excuses to avoid going anywhere.

Dave could see where Emily was coming from. Three months of hiding, living in constant fear of being discovered had become ingrained in her soul and now it was the only way Emily knew how to live. But how could he change her behavior? Confrontation wouldn't work this time. It would only drive Emily to the one place he did not want her to go: her room. Physically hauling her out the door was also out of the question. It would only reinforce her fear. The end result for the first two options would be a thoroughly pissed off Emily and a couple weeks of the silent treatment. The only option left was to get Emily to voluntarily go out like she did for the zoo. And to get her to do so would require all of his cunning.

* * *

_Hmmmm...what does Dave have up his sleeve? Come back next week and see. Don't forget to let me know what ya'll think. Until then._


	9. Chapter 9

_Wow! Wednesday already. Again thanks for the reviews and those who are adding the the fic to their story alerts or favoriting it. All greatly appreciated. Now lets go see what Dave had up his sleeve besides his arm._

* * *

The late afternoon sun shone through the bedroom window lighting the pages of the book in Emily's hand. The clicking of toenails on hardwood told her Mudgie had entered her room. The intriguing storyline reeled her back in and she didn't give the dog any more thought, now use to his comings and goings.

Emily had just gotten to the part where the female detective was getting ready to kick down the door when the leather leash plopped into her lap. She jumped in surprise. Mudgie stood next to her chair wagging his tail and looking back and forth between her and the leash.

"You're barking up the wrong tree, Mister," she said, marking her place and setting aside the book. She picked up the leash and gave it back to the dog. "Go find your daddy. It's his job."

Mudgie took it from her and dropped the leash back in her lap. Emily sighed. "Dave?" she called out. "Your dog wants to go for a walk."

Usually when she called, Dave would answer immediately. Though he had promised not to hover he always seemed to be within earshot. This time all she heard was silence. Perplexed she got to her feet, the leash sliding to the floor, and limped over to the door. Emily poked her head through.

"Dave?" she called out louder. Again there was no response. "Wonderful. The one time I do need him, he is nowhere to be found."

Emily stepped out into the hall with the intention of heading down to look for him. When she reached the stairs she saw a piece of paper taped to the handrail. She pulled it off and scanned the note. _Emily. Had to run out to get more toner for the printer. Be back soon._

"Peachy," she said, crumpling the note with her hand.

She turned around to find that Mudgie had followed her out into the hallway. He sat with the leash dangling from his mouth watching her intently. "Looks like you're out of luck, fella. Your daddy seems to have flown the coop."

When she made a move to go back to her room Mudgie blocked her way. He gazed at her imploring. Emily wagged a finger at him. "If you think I'm going to take you for a walk you got another thought coming."

Mudgie let his eyes grow wide and soft. Emily frowned at him. "I know what you're trying to do. Those sad puppy dog eyes aren't going to work on me."

His eyes grew sadder and he let out a whimper. Emily felt her resolve melting. The whimpering grew more pitiful. She rolled her eyes at the ceiling and caved. "Fine. I'll take you. Just this one time," she cautioned him. Mudgie wagged his tail in agreement.

Emily went back to her room to retrieve her crutch. It was too warm of a day to wear her jacket so she stuck her cell phone in the pocket of her jeans and tucked the gun in the small of her back. She pulled the hem of her tee shirt down to conceal its presence. The dog was eagerly waiting for her in the foyer. She took the leash from him and clipped it to his collar. She opened the door and Mudgie trotted out. When she didn't follow he turned to look back in curiosity. She stood frozen in the threshold.

"You can do this," she told herself, staring through the opening. "If I was able to survive hours at the zoo I should be able to handle a walk around the block."

She took a deep breath and forced herself through. Mudgie greeted her on the other side with an encouraging tail wag. Heeling at her side the black Lab led Emily down the driveway and turned right on the sidewalk to follow his normal route.

Two houses down in the opposite direction Dave sat in his car watching Emily and Mudgie leaving on their walk. He smiled in triumph. That went easier than he thought it would. The only difficulty he had was getting Mudgie to take the leash to Emily. He kept taking the leash and then would turn around to give it back. In the end he resorted to shoving the dog into her bedroom and making a speedy get away. Knowing it wouldn't be a good idea to be found lurking around the neighborhood by Emily he started the car. He waited until they were out of sight before backing out of his neighbor's driveway and setting off to run his errand. The funny thing was that he was actually out of toner and thought he should also pick up several reams of paper to make the trip look more legit.

* * *

"I'm back," Dave announced an hour later.

"I can see that," Emily observed from her seat on the couch where she had been munching on an apple while she read. "Have fun at the office supply store?"

"I did." He held up the two bags as proof. "Anything exciting happened while I was gone?" he asked innocently even though he already knew.

Emily shrugged her good shoulder. "Nothing earth shattering other than Mudgie suddenly wanting to go for a walk."

Dave glanced at the dog snoozing on his rug in front of the unlit fireplace. "Hope he didn't pester you too much about it."

"Only a little."

"Well I'll go put these away and take him for one." He turned to go to his study to drop off his purchase.

"I already took him," Emily said to his back.

Dave paused grinning. He quickly schooled his face so when he turned to her he wore a look of surprise. "You did?"

Emily studied him. "Yes. Why do you sound so surprised?"

Now it was his turn to shrug. "I asked you many times to walk with us but you always refused."

"So I changed my mind." Emily wanted Dave to believe that it had been her decision. She wouldn't be able to live it down if he knew that she had let the dog's mournful eyes sucker her in.

"Good for you, Emily," he said in genuine delight. "Did you enjoy it? I find them relaxing and it gives you time to think about things."

"I did."

"Would you do it again?" he asked in curiosity. If she says yes then his plan was a success and he wouldn't have to rely on any other form of subterfuge.

"It's a strong possibility," she hedged. It had felt good but Emily wasn't sure if she could do it everyday. She would simply have to take it one nerve-wracking step at a time.

"Well if you do, try turning left instead of right at the bottom of the driveway. You'll find three blocks down a park that is dog friendly."

Emily's eyes narrowed. "How did you know with direction I went?" she asked suspiciously.

Dave scrambled to cover up his slip of the tongue. "I didn't. Mudgie generally goes to the right. It's his regular route."

"Okay," she answered slowly, not quite believing him. She was beginning to think that he might have been behind Mudgie's sudden desire to have her take him for a walk. In the prior two weeks the dog had expressed no interest in it, preferring to wait for his owner to come home. If he was it just meant that Dave was trying to do what he thought was best for her. She was annoyed but also flattered that he went through so much trouble on her behalf. But then what he said could also be true. When they went for their walk the Lab had lead her that way without any urging from her.

_Guess I will have to give him the benefit of doubt for now,_ she thought. Instead, Emily smiled sweetly at him. Let him wonder for a bit if she had figured it out. As predicted Dave didn't know what to make of her smile. He felt she was going to make him rue his decision big time.

* * *

"This sucks," Emily muttered.

"What was that, Ma'am?" the cab driver asked, peering back at her through the rear view mirror.

Emily looked up quickly. "Nothing," she assured him. "Just talking to myself."

"Just don't start answering yourself otherwise people might think you're crazy," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

She let out a soft laugh. "I'll try."

He chuckled and turned his eyes back to the road while Emily returned to the contemplation of the cane lying across her legs. She had just finished another grueling session with her forever-optimistic therapist. Physical therapy always left her in a bad mood. Being twisted into a pretzel by a man who constantly repeats 'you can do this!' twice a week for an hour was not her idea of fun. Sad thing about it was that when she finished therapy for her hip she would still be doing PT on her shoulder.

And today she had thought she was finished when her therapist had announced with a big grin that it was graduation day. Then he burst her bubble by whipping out from behind his back the cane that she was currently taking her frustration out on. She had glared at the cane in his hand as she had asked what exactly had he meant by graduation. Why graduating from the arm crutch to the cane he had answered her cheerfully. I don't need it she had argued, lobbing the proverbial ball back into his court. Yes, you do he had countered. A couple of rounds of 'No, I don't', 'Yes, you do' commenced before they were reduced to a staring contest. Then he had unveiled his secret weapon. If she didn't take the cane he wouldn't clear her for full field duty.

Fine she had grumbled. She snatched the cane out of his hand and had marched out, refusing to use it even though her freshly tormented hip protested with each step. Once outside and out of sight of her therapist she had caved in and stood leaning heavily on it while she had waited for the cab she was currently sitting in.

As she watched the buildings flow by, Emily briefly entertained the though of chucking the cane out the window but knew the therapist would simply replace it the next time she saw him. She had a nagging suspicion he had a closet full of them. Her cell phone rang and she whipped it out of her pocket. "Prentiss," she answered a bit more gruffly than she had intended.

Dave's strong baritone came on the line. She heard him chuckle. _"I take it that physical therapy didn't go well?"_

She sighed. "No."

"_Want to talk about it?"_ Dave knew from direct experience how grumpy Emily tended to get after each session. Many a time he had bore the brunt of her bad frame of mind without complaint.

"Yes but I don't want to do it over the phone and while you are half way across the country on a case. It can wait." The team's time off from the rotation had come to an end and for the last two weeks they had been all over the place.

"_No problem, Emily. What will you do instead?"_

"I haven't the foggiest idea," she admitted. "I'll find some way to decompress. Maybe I'll take Mudgie to the park and play ball with him. That should blow off some steam."

"_That should do it. Damn,"_ he swore. _"I got to go, Emily. You take care and give me a call if you still need to vent regardless what time it is."_

"I will," she promised, smiling at the phone. "Thanks, Dave, for checking in with me. I appreciate it."

"_Anytime, Kiddo," _he said before ending the call.

Emily stared at the blank screen, wishing that she were with them physically than spiritually. She settled back against the seat cushion and let her gaze drift to the window, idly rolling the despised cane back and forth over the top of her legs. Her mind wandered back to the past two weeks.

After quite a bit of waffling back and forth Emily had decided to give walking Mudgie a second try. The next thing she knew they were going every day often spending hours at the park people watching or playing fetch. With each outing the terror that seized her every time she stepped through the door began to fade. It hadn't vanished completely; it still lurked around the edges of her mind. She was still easily startled, jumping at the slightest noise or touch and still needed to have her gun on her person. But she no longer avoided people's eyes when walking or moving to the side to keep them at a safe distance. Emily had even become a fixture in the neighborhood. When people waved to her she waved back even though she had no clue who they were.

The walking also had a physical affect on her body. She felt stronger and she was more energetic, no longer requiring multiple naps during the day to recharge her depleted batteries. The sun was bringing color to her cheeks, giving her normal pale skin a healthy tan. The exercise did wonders for her hip. The constant ache was gone and it was more flexible. Both occurrences thrilled to death her over ecstatic physical therapist. Dr. Barrett, her regular physician, was also pleased with her progress especially her weight gain.

Buoyed by her small successes, Emily finally accepted the invitations from her teammates. One night she had Reid over to watch Solarus. It wasn't her type of movie and she thought it was way too long but she sat through it without complaint because Reid loved it and he was her friend. They had popcorn that Dave had prepared and she watched in amusement as he fed every other piece to Mudgie once he figured out that the dog wanted to lick him to death rather than eat him. The night was one more stitch in mending the rift in their relationship caused by her abandonment.

One day she let Penelope pick her up after physical therapy to go visit with Sergio. Emily dearly missed her feline friend, missed his comforting presence at her side. It was especially worse in Paris when she woke from a particularly bad dream and yearned for his freight train rumble of a purr to soothe her frazzled nerves. At Garcia's apartment door she had hesitated, suddenly afraid that after almost seven months the cat had forgotten all about her and had transferred all his love and loyalty to Penelope. Sergio sat in the middle of floor with his tail wrapped around his paws eyeing her. But the moment she bent down and spoke his name he was in her arms purring up a storm.

The last two weeks had been good for Emily but she knew that she still had a long way to go before she could truly feel that she had come to terms with her ordeal. For each baby step forward there was going to be two huge steps back. Right now she would take what happiness she could get.

Suddenly Emily didn't feel like going back to the big, empty house. It was too quiet and lonely with Dave gone. She hadn't realized until this very instant that she had grown use to having the older agent around. Emily found herself craving the company of people but it had to be a place she was familiar with. A place that was non-threatening, a safe haven where she could keep her paranoia at bay. She leaned forward to tap the partition separating her from the driver. "Driver, change in plans," she said and gave him a new address.

* * *

The bell over the door jangled softly as Emily tentatively pushed it open and stepped in. She paused on the threshold and closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of new books. Her tense shoulders loosened up and she relaxed. She had been so nervous that she had almost chickened out when the cab had pulled up in front of the Bookmark. In the past the bookstore had a calming affect on her and she could spend hours lost among the stacks. So she had quelled the urge to flee and went in. Now she was glad she did.

Shaking off her reverie Emily glanced around and was pleased to see that it hadn't changed in the months she had been gone. She made a limping beeline to the Nature/Pets section with the thought of finding a nice book on animals for Jack. Carefully studying the shelves her eyes eventually settled on a tall and thick book that said 'Encyclopedia of Animals' down the spine. She pulled it down and nearly dropped it. _Damn! This is heavy._ With one hand she couldn't open it so Emily cast about for a place to sit. Spotting a low stool that could be used to reach the higher shelves, she tugged it over with one foot and sat on it.

Setting the book in her lap Emily opened it and started flipping through the pages. "This is perfect," she commented, looking at the colorful glossy pictures. The descriptions were simple enough for a six year old to handle. There were a few big words but Hotch could help him with those. "Jack will love this," she decided.

"Would you like me to hold that at the counter for you?" a male voice asked.

Emily jumped and looked to see one of the booksellers standing politely to one side. She did not recognize him from her previous visits and squinted at the lanyard hanging around his neck.

"Please, Alex," she said and handed the book over.

With Jack's gift taken care of she headed for the mystery and fiction sections with every intention of loading up on a ton of books for herself and she did. Alex kept an eye on her and would quietly swoop in and take the small piles she was building back to the counter.

After a couple of hours Emily decided she had had enough and went to check out. Much to her surprise she discovered she had accumulated quite a stack. She was also pleased that her membership in the Book Browser Club had not expired during her absence so she got a nice discount. It was halfway through the purchase when she realized she wasn't capable of getting all those books home with one hand.

"Ummm…Alex? Do you ship?" she asked the bookseller.

"We certainly do, Miss Prentiss," he confirmed with a big smile. "Would you like all of these delivered to your place of residence?"

"Yes, please. Except for this one. I'll take it with me." Emily said, extracting from the pile the latest by Deborah Crombie.

When it came time to pay Emily used some of the cash she had squirreled away in Paris. The last she heard, Hotch was almost finished resurrecting her from the dead, on paper and financially. It seemed a lot easier to kill a person on paper than it was to bring them back.

"How much extra is the shipping?" she asked, ready to pull out a few extra bills.

Alex smiled broadly again. "Our shipping is free. Some of our patrons are on a budget and housebound so we try to get their orders to them as quickly as possible. Tomorrow around noon good for you?"

Emily's eyebrows shot up. "That is a fast turn around."

"That's because we do our own deliveries. Why use a middleman? Your address?"

Emily automatically started to rattle off the address for her old apartment. She caught her error and gave him Rossi's. When everything was taken care of she caught a cab and went back to Dave's with the intention of taking Mudgie to the park.

* * *

At quarter after twelve the next day the doorbell rang. Emily's head shot up, spoon halfway to her mouth. Eyes locked on the foyer she dropped it back in her bowl of cream of broccoli soup with a clink. Sliding off the stool she grabbed up the gun from the counter and limped over to the door.

Keeping at a safe distance Emily called out, "Who is it?"

"Delivery from the Bookmark."

She released her breath. "Be right there." Emily tucked the gun in her waistband and disarmed the alarm.

Emily stepped over to the door, grasped the knob and swung it open. The young man stood, large box in hand, with his back to her gazing out at the street. When he heard the latch click he turned around. Emily froze, eyes wide in shock. "Russ?" she gasped.

* * *

_Is everyone curious who Russ is? I hope you are. Do check in next week to find out. Until then have a good week._


	10. Chapter 10

_Welcome back everyone. I know some of you want to know who Russ is and how important he is to Emily. So I shall be quiet and let you read. Enjoy!_

* * *

"Russ?" Emily gasped, gaping at the eighteen-year-old standing on Rossi's front porch.

The teenager's eyes were just as wide as hers, two large emeralds staring at her from under a mop of unruly red hair. _He needs a haircut,_ popped into her head. "Emily?" he said in disbelief. They stared at each other mutely. Then a big grin spread across his face. He dumped the box in a chair on the porch and before Emily could react he engulfed her in a bone-crushing hug.

"Ace? It's really you," he said in relief. Emily recovering from her initial shock wrapped her good arm around him squeezing tightly. She ignored the pain his hug was subjecting her still tender ribs to. "I thought you were dead. I went to your funeral."

Guilt swept over her. Emily broke the embrace and backed away, trying to put as much space between the two of them as possible without ending up in another room. She stared at the floor, rubbing her sling-enclosed arm at a loss for words. She had known that this was bound to happen, that she would run into acquaintances from her old life but hadn't expected it to occur so soon. She had no clue how to deal with it. All she could get out was a barely audible "I'm sorry."

Russ followed her in and saved her from having to explain. "I bet it had to do with your job," he guessed correctly. He knew she worked for the FBI and that she was a profiler and what the job entailed. "You had to go undercover," he continued, "and they had to fake your death to make it convincing."

Emily looked everywhere but at him. "Something like that," she hedged.

The teenager grinned. "That's cool. And I know you can't talk about it. It's probably classified. I'm just glad you're alive."

He pulled her into another fierce hug and Emily did not fight it. She returned it warmly. "I am too," she whispered.

They separated and Emily gestured to the couch. "Have a seat." After they had settled at opposite ends she asked, "How have you been?"

"I've been real good," Russ answered. He then nodded at the sling. "Another tree root?"

Emily cracked a smile. "Hah. No." She was going to leave it at that but the expectant look on his face had her changing her mind. She kept it simple. "Fight. Took a bullet through the shoulder. Broken collarbone and hand and a bum hip."

"Ouch," he said in sympathy. "Hope whoever you fought with ended up in worse shape than you."

"He did," she agreed but did not elaborate more. The two friends sat in silence, every now and then smiling shyly at each other. Russ gazed down at his hands and his face suddenly lit up.

"Oh!" he exclaimed and reached back to fish his wallet out of his pants pocket. "I can't believe I actually get to show you this." From within he removed a piece of paper that had been folded multiple times. Emily watched him with a puzzled look.

"When this arrived I was so excited I had to tell someone so I went to the cemetery to show it to you."

A heavier wave of guilt washed over her at the thought of Russ standing there gazing at her headstone talking to an empty grave. And he wasn't the only one. How many times had her team visited her grave as they battled through their grief? They all thought she was six feet under and not six thousand miles away in Paris. What she didn't know was the Garcia had gone every other day maintaining the gravesite and making sure Emily always had fresh flowers.

"Ace? Emily?"

"Huh?" Emily blinked, snapping back into the present. She hadn't realized she had been woolgathering. Hopefully she hadn't missed anything of importance. "What were you saying, Russ?"

"I wanted you to read it." Russ sat there holding out the folded paper to her.

"Sure," she said and took the letter with shaking fingers. Carefully she unfolded it against her leg and scanned it. As she read it a smile crept across her face. When she looked up at him Emily's eyes and heart swelled with pride. "You got a full baseball scholarship to Georgetown."

"I did," he said modestly and blushed, his face turning the same shade as his hair.

Emily leaned over and rested her hand on his knee, grinning ear from ear. "Russ, I am so proud of you."

"I never would have gotten this far without your help. Thank you, Emily."

She shrugged off the compliment. "I only got you pointed in the right direction, the rest was all you."

"Still…"

"When do you start?" she asked, stopping Russ from giving her more credit than she deserved. In her mind she had done nothing special for the boy. She had simply been his friend and had given him moral support when he needed it. Nothing else.

"In two weeks."

From Russ' perspective it was the complete opposite. To him Emily was more than a friend. She was his mentor. She had helped him through difficult times when things were bad at home. She had kept him on the straight and narrow. At times he had wished that Emily could have been his guardian but with her unpredictable work schedule he knew it wouldn't have panned out. Instead, he preferred to think of her as his unofficial adoptive mom, the closest he would ever get to a real one. The only sad thing about their relationship was that whenever he tried to tell her that Emily would brush it aside as if she thought she was some how unworthy of that title.

"That soon?" He nodded. "Is there anything you need for your dorm room?" she offered.

"Not at this time but you never know, Ace. I might down the line," he said with a wink.

Emily chuckled then suddenly her smile faded and her eyes filled with sorrow. Russ caught the change in her demeanor and leaned forward. "Emily?"

"I'm so sorry, Russ. I just realized I missed your graduation." The guilt, she was unable to hide this time, was clearly written on her face.

"It's okay, Emily," the teenager tried to reassure her.

Emily shook her head and looked away, unwilling to meet him in the eyes. She bit her lip and said softly, "No it isn't. It was an important event in your life and I missed it."

"You couldn't help it, Ace. Your job is important too. You would have been there if you could. I was cool with it. You were there with me in spirit." The young man pointed to his heart.

Emily's eyes slid back to him and the corner of her mouth curled into a small smile. "How did you get to be so smart?"

Russ grinned. "I have a great teacher."

They chatted for a while longer until she realized he was still on the clock and kicked him out to finish his deliveries. He asked if he could call later and she said absolutely. Closing the door behind him, she smiled at the unexpected but wonderful visit. She had missed him and was looking forward to hear what he had been up to while she was gone.

She had barely taken two steps when there was knocking on the door. She opened it. "I forgot to give this to you," he said sheepishly, holding up the box.

Emily laughed and gestured for him to put it on coffee table. He hurried in, dropped it on the table, paused to give her one last hug and gave her a cheeky wave goodbye. Still laughing she went back to the couch and opened the box. Not long after Dave called and said that they had caught the bad guy and he should be home in time for dinner. After hanging up Emily was still in a good mood and decided to do something nice for Dave for a change.

* * *

After dinner Emily moved to the living room to sit by the fire while Dave puttered around the kitchen tidying up.

"Anything else I can get you?" he called out.

"Nothing, thank you. I'm full," she said giving him a smile.

He tossed the dishtowel on the counter, picked up his wine glass and sat on the far end of the couch. "Dinner was delicious. I didn't know you could cook."

"I know enough not to burn down the house." She let out a little laugh that made Dave smile. It had been a long time since he had heard a genuine laugh out of her even if it was a small one. "And thank you for cleaning up."

"No problem. You cooked so it only seemed proper for me to clean up." Emily gave him another smile before turning her gaze to the crackling fire.

Dave watched her contemplating the dancing flames. There was something he wanted to talk to her about but he wasn't sure if this was the right time to do so. But the more he thought about it, the more he came to realize that there would never be a good time with this particular subject. He took a sip of wine to fortify his nerve and leaped.

"Have you called your mother yet?" He casually asked, watching her over the rim of the glass.

Emily's shoulders stiffened, her good mood gone. "No," she said flatly.

"Are you going to?"

"No."

"Why not? I'm sure she would like to hear from you," he pointed out.

Emily shifted uncomfortably on the couch. "I rather doubt it," she said in a low voice.

"What do you mean by that?"

She turned her eyes blazing in anger. "If she really wanted to talk to me she could have called anytime during the two weeks I was stuck in the hospital. But she didn't. Too busy righting all the world's wrongs to spare her only daughter five minutes of her time."

He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Surely you don't think that."

"I do. It has happened for my entire life."

"You could be the stronger one and call her first," Dave suggested.

She rounded on him. "And say what? 'Hi, Mom. It's me, Emily. You're prodigal daughter has returned from the dead. Let's do lunch'?" She raised her eyebrows questioning.

Dave couldn't help but smirk. Disgusted Emily turned back to the fire and started to run her hand along the sling. "Besides it is better this way," she said softly, the anger fading as quickly as it had erupted.

"How so?" he asked.

"I'm better off dead to her. That way she doesn't have to pretend that she cares about me. She can play the proper grieving mother with her friends," she whispered, her voice cracked with long held in pain.

"She knows you're alive, Emily. Hotch called her the first night you were in the hospital."

She stared at him for a moment then slowly shook her head. "I don't want to talk about this anymore." Emily pushed herself to her feet. "I'm tired, Dave. I think I am going to go to bed. Good night."

"Don't run away, Emily."

She paused and looked at him. "I'm not running away. I'm just tired," she said defensively.

Dave shook his head. "No, you are not. You were perfectly fine until I mentioned your mother. Lately every time you don't want to talk about something you run away to your room."

"I do not."

"Yes, you do," he said. "Stay. Don't let one difference of opinion ruin a perfectly good evening. Please don't go."

Emily stared at the stairs mulling over his words. She bit her lower lip and slowly nodded. "Okay," she conceded and sat back down.

"Thank you," he said sincerely.

Emily smiled politely as she repositioned herself on the couch. Dave smiled back, but with hope beaming behind it. She had lowered her walls just a bit. She hadn't run, she had stayed and let him gain a foothold as tenuous as it was.

* * *

"Do you think he'll remember me?" Emily asked, breaking the silence.

JJ glanced over at her friend. "Of course he will, Emily. Why do you think Henry wouldn't?"

Emily sighed and looked out the passenger window, idly twisting the cane between her knees. She had accepted an invitation from JJ to have a quiet dinner at her place with Will and Henry. But now she was having second thoughts. Mainly she was worried how Henry would react when he saw her. She didn't know if she could handle it if he looked at her without a hint of recognition in his eyes.

"Henry is only three and I've been gone for over six months. To a boy his age that is an eternity," Emily tried to explain her tumbling thoughts.

"Well he does," JJ assured her, returning her eyes to the road ahead. "If he didn't why would he have drawn all those pictures for you?"

Emily blew out a breath of frustration and brushed her hair away from the side of her face. "I guess I'm not expressing it right. I meant would he remember me for who I am or just as the lady who worked with him mom and occasionally gave him books?"

JJ smiled. "Put your mind at ease, Emily. Henry definitely remembers his 'Auntie Em'. He has been dying to see you and was a bit put out that Jack had gotten to visit you several times."

When Emily had been in the hospital Henry had been unable to visit due to the fact that Bethesda had a strict policy that children under the age of five were not permitted. Even flashing their FBI credentials had no effect especially since Henry was not related to Emily. After her release JJ held back in letting him visit until she was sure her friend was up to dealing with a rambunctious three year old. When Emily stopped distancing herself and started interacting more with the team JJ knew it was time.

Emily cocked an eyebrow. "When did I become 'Auntie Em'?"

"After Henry watched the Wizard of Oz fifteen times," JJ explained with a chuckle.

Emily let out a small laugh and they drove in silence the rest of the way to JJ's apartment.

* * *

The fear that Emily had that Henry wouldn't remember her proved to be unfounded. The moment she stepped through the door Henry had arms wrapped around her legs, his shouts of Auntie Em echoing in her ears. She grinned and ruffled his mop of blonde hair while he beamed up at her with his blue eyes. JJ eventually had to pry her son off her so that Emily could enter the apartment the rest of the way and shut the door.

Henry insisted on sitting on her lap throughout the meal. JJ tried to talk her son out of it but Emily said it was okay. The little boy was tickled pink when her dinner came pre-cut like his. Around mouthfuls of food he kept up a steady stream of questions. He wanted to know why she had brought a stick with her, what she had on her arm and why it was tied to her chest and why her two fingers stuck out. Emily patiently answered all of his questions and let him explore how the sling worked and run his hand over her splinted fingers. When he asked if they hurt she said no, they itched and he giggled.

After dinner Henry convinced Emily to color with him while his parents cleaned up. As he drew he asked her if she had seen Ergo.

Emily looked to JJ in confusion. "Ergo?"

"He means Sergio. The moment he laid eyes on him he was instantly in love." She smiled fondly at her son.

Henry nodded vigorously. "When I go to Aunt Penny's me and Ergo play hide and seek."

Emily looked again at JJ for clarification. "Sergio hides and Henry spends the rest of the visit looking for him."

"He's really good," Henry said in awe.

"I'm sure he is," Emily agreed, hiding her smile behind her hand. Seems her cat was even less fond of three year olds than he was of six year olds.

Much to the little boy's dismay his bedtime came too soon. He protested mightily but to no avail to his parents. "Give Aunt Emily a goodnight hug," JJ told him.

Henry went over and wrapped his arms around her neck. "Night, Auntie Em."

Emily gave him a quick one-arm hug. "Goodnight, sweetie. I had fun."

"Me too," he echoed and let his mother pick him up. He gave her a small wave and she waved back.

JJ told her she would be back in a little bit and Emily said no problem. To pass the time while JJ and Will were tucking their son into bed she pulled out a blank sheet of drawing paper and started to doodle. A half hour later JJ emerged from Henry's room to find her friend engrossed in her drawing. She leaned over Emily's shoulder to take a peek and frowned. Not wanting to startle her JJ settled into the chair across from her and cleared her throat.

Emily gave a slight start and looked up. "Henry all tucked away?"

JJ nodded with a smile. "Yup. Was sound asleep within minutes of his head hitting the pillow."

"Nice," Emily said with a smile of her own. "And Will?" she asked, noticing for the first time that Will had not returned with JJ.

"Will has the early shift tomorrow so he decided to turn in."

Emily nodded. "I see," she said and turned her focus back to the drawing. She knew Will was being polite and letting the two friends have some time alone. That meant JJ want to talk, or more precisely, she wanted Emily to talk. JJ wanted to try and get around her defenses and Emily was going to do her best to keep them up and impregnable.

JJ studied her face, looking for any chinks in Emily's mental armor but found none. In the hospital there hand been a minor break but since then Emily had sealed the crack, put up the no trespassing signs and maintained her distance from the team.

"So, Emily, how are you doing?" she ventured.

A shrug. "I'm fine," she answered, not looking up and exchanging the green crayon for the blue one.

JJ tilted her head to one side in amusement. "Emily, I spent almost two months by your bedside and I know when you say you're fine it means you're not. Want to try it again?"

Emily sighed, still feeling guilty for the hours JJ spent sitting at the hospital with her when she should have been with Will and Henry. "I'm getting by," she finally admitted.

"And that means?"

_She's not going to let up,_ Emily thought ruefully. _JJ has me right where she wants me to be. I'm stuck here until she decides to take me back to Dave's. Maybe I'll toss her bone and she'll leave me alone. Then we can spend the rest of the evening talking about nothing. _Emily loved and hated JJ at the same time for what she was trying to do.

"I have good days and then I have some bad ones. But the good are beginning to out number the bad."

"Good. And the nightmares?"

The crayon in Emily's hand snapped in two. _Damn,_ _first Dave and now JJ._ "What makes you think I'm still having nightmares?" She tried not to sound defensive but couldn't quite keep the hint of irritation out of her voice.

"Sometimes a picture can reveal what we really feel," JJ said and nodded at the paper under Emily's hand.

Emily looked down and her eyes widened in surprise, taking in what she had drawn. It was a rather gloomy picture. The skies were dark with black clouds. Lightning flashed and heavy rain pelted a run down church. Next to the crumbling structure was an overgrown cemetery. Poking up here and there through the tall grass were the tops of tombstones. In the forefront was a large grave with a tall headstone and jammed into the dirt was a bloody stake. In the background a shadowy figure lurked beside a tree split asunder by a bolt of lightning.

"It doesn't mean anything," Emily said hastily and went to crumple it up.

JJ rescued it before she could destroy it. For not being a natural leftie Emily could draw pretty good. "It has to mean something to you, Emily. Otherwise, you never would have drawn it," the blonde pointed out softly.

Emily stared off into the distance, turning the broken piece of crayon over and over in her hand. JJ remained silent, not pushing her. She would talk when she was ready.

"For weeks I couldn't set foot outside without being seized by a paralyzing fear. I could barely get myself out the door to go to my physical therapy sessions. I was terrified that something, someone was lurking just on the other side waiting to seek revenge on me. It's silly I know. Doyle is dead but I couldn't convince part of my mind that it was true."

"It's not silly at all, Em. You lived with that real life threat for five months. It won't go away overnight."

"I know, JJ. It's a day to day struggle," Emily said, giving her a wan smile.

JJ smiled encouragingly. "Well you seem to be succeeding. You made it here."

Emily let out a short laugh. "I did but it is still there, hanging around the fringes of my mind waiting for one hint of weakness, when my defensives are at their lowest."

"What prompted you to fight it?" JJ asked in curiosity.

Emily grabbed a clean sheet of paper and started to doodle. "Jack," she said fondly. "He had waited so patiently for me to take him to the zoo. I couldn't disappoint him."

"So that got the ball rolling?"

"Sort of," Emily said with a chuckle. "Jack got the ball into position. Dave is the one who kicked it."

"How did he do that?" JJ asked, totally caught up in the tale.

"Somehow he tricked me into taking Mudgie for a walk." This part was easier for Emily to talk about. It wasn't a deep probe into her psyche merely a retelling of a sneaky stunt.

"How?"

"I think he shoved the dog and leash into my room and ran for the hills so that I couldn't kill him."

JJ sat back and roared with laughter while Emily smiled along. She then changed crayons. With one last laugh JJ asked, "How has it been staying with Dave?"

"Good," Emily answered with a nod. "Dave has been great. He's always there, though he pretends he is not, giving me his quiet support. And when he thinks I need a nudge in a new direction he is pushing as hard as he can."

Emily fell quiet, refocusing on her drawing. JJ had a feeling that she was finished talking. She was both pleased and surprised that she had opened up as much as she did. It was a small victory for both women.

"Dave thinks I should call my Mother," Emily blurted out. She kept her eyes glued on the paper.

JJ paused. Discussing Emily's mother was always tricky. One had to tread lightly. "I see," she said cautiously.

"What do you think I should do?"

It was a difficult question with no easy answer. JJ took a minute to school her thoughts. "As a friend I would say you should do what feels right for you. But from a mother's perspective I would want to hear my daughter's voice even if our relationship was strained."

Emily nodded. "Did my Mother make quite a show at my funeral?" she asked.

JJ stopped herself from sighing, another tough question. She could lie but the last time she did it had hurt Emily deeply and she had cut off contact with her until they had met up in Paris. Even then her friend had refused to look at her and had only said 'thank you'. She couldn't let that happen again. JJ told her the truth.

"Your mother never came."

Emily's hand stilled and then resumed drawing. "Well, that settles that," she said quietly.

* * *

_Well, now you have met Russ. Hope you liked him. And isn't it nice that Emily is beginning to open up a little and making progress. Now don't forget to let me know what think. As always I appreciate all comments. Until next Wednesday then._


	11. Chapter 11

_Welcome back loyal readers and new visitors. I have finished this story on my end but have no fear it is not going to end for a while yet. I love when I am ahead on chapters. No pressure. Now I will go work on my next one while you all go read and enjoy._

* * *

Dave was riffling through his print outs of his most recent chapter in a halfhearted attempt at editing when the reverberation of the doorbell caught his attention. He tapped the mess of papers into a neat pile and spun out of the chair curious to see who was unexpectedly dropping by. The team knew to call first so as to not create any unwanted anxiety in his already fragile houseguest.

Dave opened the door to find an attractive, tall, older brunette woman standing there. She gave him a small smile. "Agent Rossi?"

"Yes?"

"I'm Elizabeth Prentiss. I was told my daughter was staying here."

He blinked. "Ambassador. Do come in," he said hastily, stepping back and opening the door wider for her to enter.

"Please call me Elizabeth," she said, looking around the foyer.

"And you can call me Dave," he said, leading the Ambassador into the living room. "Is Emily expecting you?"

"No, I'm afraid not," she admitted.

He gestured to the couch. "If you don't mind waiting, I'll go let Emily know that you are here."

Elizabeth touched him arm. "Not at all. But please don't tell her it is me otherwise she might refuse."

He nodded. "Of course. If you will excuse me, I'll go fetch Emily."

"Dave, how she is doing?" she asked tentatively.

Dave paused. "Physically she is healing. Emotionally…" he trailed off with a shrug.

Elizabeth nodded. "She is keeping it all bottled up inside. I'm afraid she learned that too well from me."

There was nothing he could say so he gave the Ambassador an apologetic smile, turned slowly and stepped through the French doors and onto the patio.

Emily was reclining in lounge chair with a book and Mudgie on the patio next her. The book laid open in her lap but her mind was elsewhere, eyes staring off into the distance, fingers idly running along the spine. He stopped next to her and cleared his throat. She blinked and looked up at him.

"Hey, Dave," she greeted.

"Emily, there is someone here to see you."

She frowned. No one knew she was here except for the team. "Who is it?"

He stalled briefly, contemplating the best way to deliver the information. Then he just went with the blunt truth. "Your mother."

Emily stared at him, her mouth hanging slightly open. "My...my Mother?" she stammered.

He nodded. "Yes."

"What is she doing here?" she demanded, stepping on the poor dog as she rose to her feet.

Dave shrugged. "I have no idea. You'll just have to ask her."

Emily shook her head. "No, I can't. Tell her…"

"Hello, Emily," Elizabeth said, stepping out on to the patio.

The two Prentiss' women stared at each other. One was stunned that her mother had the gall to show up at Rossi's. The other was shocked by her daughter's physical appearance: the sling and the splinted fingers.

"Oh! My little Lee," Elizabeth cried and engulfed the stunned Emily in her arms.

Emily stood ramrod straight with her arm hanging at her side. Slowly she brought it up and wrapped it around her mother. Lee. Her mother hadn't called her that since she was a little girl. She hadn't realized how much she had missed it. Meanwhile, Dave grabbed Mudgie by the collar and discreetly left the two women alone.

Emily heard sniffling. She broke the embrace and looked at her mother with wide eyes. "Mother, are you crying?" she asked in awe. In her entire life she had never seen her shed a single tear even when her grandfather had died. Now she had and it was a bit unnerving.

Elizabeth Prentiss dabbed at the tears. "Of course I am. Is there something wrong with that?" she asked.

"No. It's just…well," her daughter stammered.

"Just what?"

"I thought you didn't care about me," Emily blurted out and winced at the hurt look in her Mother's eyes.

"You think that?" Elizabeth asked, surprised.

"I do," she admitted and looked down at the patio tile.

Elizabeth cupped her daughter's face in her hands. "My darling, you and I may not see eye to eye on a few things," she said softly.

"More like a lot," Emily muttered.

Her mother nodded. "You and I may not see eye to eye on a lot of things but you are still my daughter, flesh of my flesh and I love you deeply."

Emily studied her mother's eyes and found nothing but love in them. She wanted to believe that but years of feeling unworthy of love had made her skeptical. She pulled back from her Mother's comforting hands and turned to look out over the garden. "How did you know I was here?"

Elizabeth smiled at her daughter's back. "I have my sources," she said slyly. Emily spun around, her eyes narrowing and filling with anger.

Her mother held up a calming hand. "Before you start laying down the blame, it was not a member of your team. They circled the wagons and stonewalled me from every direction."

Emily tried to tap down on the anger. _Strauss,_ she decided. _It had to be Strauss. _"Was it Strauss?" she demanded.

"I can't really say," Elizabeth said diplomatically, taking a seat on the lounge chair.

"I knew it," Emily muttered under her breath. "Damn that woman! She's still trying to screw with me."

Elizabeth studied her daughter's body language and didn't like what she saw. She patted the cushion next to her. "Lee darling, have a seat. You look like you are about to fall over."

Emily glanced back at her mother and shook her head. "Please," she asked again. Emily sighed and reluctantly sat down, sitting as far away as she could without falling off the lounger. She stared at her feet and ran her hand along the sling.

"How are you?"

"I'm good," she answered, refusing to meet her mother's eyes.

"Is there anything you need that I can get for you?" Elizabeth asked.

Emily shook her head. "No."

Elizabeth rested her elbows on her knees and leaned forward. "Do you need any money to tide you over until," she groped for the right words, "your situation has been rectified?"

Emily frowned. _Rectify my situation? How very diplomatic of you, Mother,_ she thought. _Sounds much better than my miraculous resurrection._ She looked at her mother this time. "Hotch is taking care of my 'situation' thank you very much," she retorted somewhat snidely.

The Ambassador blinked at the rebuke. To cover up the sting she felt from it, she glanced at her watch. "Lee darling, I'm afraid I have to run. I have a meeting I couldn't get out of."

"I understand." Emily's shoulders sagged and she let out a soft sigh. This was nothing new to her.

"I would like to see you again. Would it all right if I call you? We could go out for a quiet lunch or dinner," she suggested.

Emily shrugged indifferently. "Sure."

Elizabeth could tell from Emily's tone that she didn't believe her. She got up and stood before her. She gently cupped her daughter's face in her hands and tilted it up so she could see her luminous dark brown eyes. Then she reached up and tenderly traced with one finger the pink scar over her left eye.

"I mean it," she sincerely vowed and kissed her lightly on the forehead. Then she left without saying another word.

Emily watched her leave then turned to look out over the backyard as conflicting emotions washed over her leaving her confused and feeling empty.

* * *

Dave shot to his feet when the Ambassador walked through the French doors. "Leaving already Ambassa…Elizabeth?"

She smiled weakly. "I didn't want to over stay my welcome, though, I believe I have."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said honestly.

Elizabeth shrugged it off. "It went pretty much as I had expected. There is a lot of unresolved issues between my daughter and I and they can't be fixed with one visit."

Dave didn't know how to respond to that so he simply nodded. Emily's mother stood in the middle of the living room looking like she wasn't ready to leave. He waited patiently for her to voice whatever she was thinking.

"I would really appreciate it, Dave, if you could keep me informed on Emily's progress," she said, holding out her hand.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," he said, ignoring the proffered hand and staring her in the eye. "I won't betray Emily's confidence."

Elizabeth blinked in surprise. He had said no to her. Very few people had the nerve to stand up to her. Her eyes narrowed and she opened her mouth to put him in his place but he cut her off before she could.

"Over the past month the friendship I have with your daughter has grown stronger but it is still fragile. I won't allow anything or anyone to jeopardize it. But," he held up one finger. "I will do my best to get Emily to stay in touch with you. It won't be easy. You know how stubborn she can be."

She sighed. "Like mother like daughter. Another thing she learned too well from me." She held out her hand again and this time Dave took it. "That will have to do. Thank you."

"You are welcome," he said with a smile. "May I walk you out?"

"Please." Together they walked to the door. Dave held it open and she stepped through. The Ambassador then turned back to him. "Are you and your team willing to support Emily one hundred percent during this difficult time in her life?"

"Two hundred percent," he said with certainty.

She laid a hand on his arm and said softly, "Take good care of my daughter."

* * *

After seeing the Ambassador out Dave went to check on his houseguest. Emily was still sitting on the end of the lounge chair staring vacantly into space. He sat down next to her but not too close to invade her personal space. Mudgie had no qualms about it. He squeezed between the two and rested his head in her lap. Automatically Emily started to scratch him behind the ears.

Dave was unsure if Emily was aware of his presence so he cleared his throat loudly before speaking. "How are you doing?"

She gave a slight start. "I'm fine," came her stock answer.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked her softly.

He was expecting her to shake her head and say no so she totally caught him off guard by her spitting out, "Strauss told Mother I was here. First she tells me that my place is with the team then she goes out of her way to make my life more of a living hell than it already is."

Dave sighed at the news. "Why am I not surprised? Strauss is a political creature, always searching for ways to score brownie points with the higher ups. Then later she'll try to call in those favors to get what she really wants."

Emily snorted in disgust. "She's no match for Mother. She'll chew Strauss up and spit her out before she would grant any favors. Mother takes, she never gives."

He couldn't help but laugh at the image of Ambassador Prentiss devouring Strauss whole. Emily merely glowered. "I hate politics," she muttered.

"I know you do and so do I," he agreed in sympathy.

She nodded and fell silent. Dave knew she was a master of hiding her true feelings and letting people see only what she wanted them to see. But the stillness of her body and the quiet that hung around her spoke volumes. Her mother's visit had shaken her to her very core. He sensed there was more she wanted to get off her chest so he didn't push her. He was just pleased that she was beginning to trust him enough to open up a little.

"Before she walked out Mother suggested we get together for lunch or dinner," she said, eyes still trained on the far wall of the garden.

"That's sounds nice," he said cautiously.

"I guess."

"Are you going to do it?"

Emily shrugged. "I don't know."

Thin ice appeared under his feet. "You don't think your mother was being sincere?"

"She's always making empty promises." Unconsciously she tightened her fingers in the dog's fur causing him to let out a small whimper. Guiltily she quickly eased up.

His impression of the Ambassador was that she genuinely loved her daughter and was worried about her welfare. The Doyle case had had a profound affect on her life as it had on Emily's. She had thought her daughter was dead and was now regretting all the things that were left unsaid. Now she had a second chance to repair her relationship with Emily. He had to hand it to her for coming here today trying to do just that.

"Maybe this one is different," he offered.

Emily turned to look at him. "Maybe, but I wouldn't hold my breath."

Now that she was facing him he could see the tightness around her eyes and the withdrawn look. Something bigger than a missed dinner date was still troubling her.

Dave leaned in to capture her eyes. "Emily?" he asked softly, "What really is bothering you?"

She briefly glanced away biting her lip. "Mother said she loved me," she whispered.

"What do you think?" he countered.

"Honestly?" He nodded. "I don't know what to believe."

For a quick second her façade cracked and Dave caught a glimpse of the vulnerable little girl who felt she was unworthy of love.

* * *

Her mother's unexpected appearance had thrown Emily for a loop. Before she had been certain of what her mother had felt about her but now she wasn't so sure. Her heart was telling her to believe that the words spoken were true, that her mother loved her and wanted to try to repair their relationship.

At the same time her mind kept pointing out incidents from her childhood to prove that her mother was indifferent and uncaring. It showed her the time when she had been really sick and had wanted no one but her mother to hold and comfort her but the Ambassador was at a state dinner and could not be bothered. Or the night of her first piano recital she had spent the entire evening anxiously scanning the audience for her parents. Neither had shown and she went on to play with tears streaming down her cheeks. That night Emily never touched the piano again.

The straw that broke the camel's back was the time she spent at school working on a special art project. When it was finished she had rushed home and into her mother's office where the Ambassador barely glanced at it and told her not to interrupt when she was working. After that she stopped showing or telling her mother anything of importance. Instead, she buried her nose in books to escape and started to rely on no one but herself.

With her mind and heart in turmoil Emily grew quiet and withdrew into herself. A few weeks ago she would have retreated and barricaded herself in her room. Now she stayed down stairs letting Dave's physical presence comfort her. He left her alone after the initial talk to work things through. Without him saying anything she knew he would be available if she wanted to talk some more.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Emily mechanically ate whatever Dave set before her. When asked later she couldn't remember what the meal was or how it tasted. Afterwards she let Dave persuade her to accompany him and Mudgie on a long stroll around the neighborhood. He didn't quibble about her leaving her cane behind. Instead, he offered his arm for her to use. Emily eyed it warily like she had in the hospital when he had made the same gesture. Only this time she politely declined.

Side by side the two friends walked through the neighborhood. Emily quietly limped along content to listen to Dave filling her in on all the backgrounds and quirks of his neighbors. Some were quite amusing and she found herself smiling despite her bad mood. Occasionally they would stop to let Mudgie sniff and check out the latest news left on the doggie telegraph. Eventually the stress of the day caught up with her and she grew tired. But she didn't insist they turn around and head for home, she wasn't ready yet. Moving closer to his side Emily slipped her arm through his. Dave smiled and patted her hand and for the remainder of the trip they walked in companionable silence.

When Emily had decided to turn in early, Dave returned to his study to see if he could actually get some editing done on the chapter he had abandoned when the Ambassador had shown up. At nine o'clock a gentle rain was pitter-pattering against the window. By ten it was a raging storm. The black clouds were set afire by the bolts of lightning; the air was filled with the deep rumbling of thunder.

A thunderclap followed by a powerful crack of electricity shook the house and rattled the windows. But the storm pounding outside paled in comparison to the heart-stopping scream that reverberated through the air and attacked Dave's senses.

"EMILY!" he cried out, surging to his feet and taking the steps two at a time. Dave burst through her bedroom door and found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.

* * *

_I know, I know. How evil of me. I've ended on a cliffhanger. Let me know what ya'll thought and I will see everyone next week._


	12. Chapter 12

_Here you are folks. The resolution of my little old cliffhanger that left a few of you hanging on the edge of said cliff. Enjoy._

* * *

Dave skidded to a stop when the barrel of the gun swung in his direction.

"Don't come near me," Emily said. She stood next to the bed, eyes wide in fear but unfocused. Her entire body trembled, except for the hand holding the gun, from whatever terrifying event was replaying in her mind.

"It's okay, Emily. It's just me," he said softly, raising his hands to show her that they were empty. He took a cautious step.

"Stay where you are," she ordered, taking a few steps back to keep a safe distance between them.

Dave stopped. "Okay, I can do that, but I need you to listen to me. Can you please put the gun down?" He slid a foot forward.

Emily backed up. "Ian, if you take one more step I will shoot you," she warned.

He knew that she was dead serious. Normally her finger would be resting against the side of the gun but tonight it was wrapped tightly around the trigger. He froze in place. "It's me, Dave. You're having a flashback. Ian isn't here."

A look of confusion flirted across her face and the gun lowered a fraction of an inch. Dave pushed his advantage. Speaking in a soothing voice, he slowly advanced. "You're having a bad dream. There's no one here besides you and me."

The gun sank lower when it seemed his words were getting through. Keeping his eyes glued on Emily, he reached for the weapon. She saw what he was trying to do. Her eyes narrowed and the gun snapped up. "You're trying to trick me," she said accusingly.

His hand stilled. "No I'm not. You're dreaming. You're safe. You're safe in your room at my house. Just listen to my voice. You know who I am and that I wouldn't hurt you."

The look of confusion was back. She shook her head in denial and her gun hand started to shake as awareness slowly sank in. Dave wrapped his hands around the gun. Emily started at his touch and blinked awake. "Dave?"

He smiled gently. "Welcome back."

She looked down and visibly paled when she saw what was in their hands. She let go as if burned and backed away until she slammed into the wall. Her knees buckled and she sank down into the corner. Emily drew her legs up to her chest, wrapped her good arm them, and slowly rocked in place. She stared off into space mortified that she had pulled her gun on her friend.

Dave breathed a deep sigh of relief as he removed the clip and shoved it in his pocket. The Glock he tucked into his waistband. Weapon secured, he turned his attention to his traumatized friend curled in a ball at his feet. With the events of the last day he believed Emily had finally hit rock bottom and the only way for her to go now was up.

He knelt next to her. "Would you like me to leave?"

"Stay," she whispered with a small shake of her head.

"Sure," he said and eased down onto the floor leaning back against the wall. Dave edged over until their shoulders touched. Emily stiffened but did not shift away from the contact.

There they sat, shoulder to shoulder, while outside the window the thunderstorm blew itself out. Dave did not push Emily to talk; he simply let her take solace through their physical touch. Eventually the physical and emotional stress took its toll and her eyelids began to droop. Emily tried to fight it off, afraid to fall asleep. In the end sleep won out. With her head resting against the wall, she sank into a dreamless slumber.

When Dave was sure she would not wake, he scooped Emily up and tucked her back into bed. He adjusted the sling that had slid out of position during her struggle and pulled the covers up. Mudgie emerged from where he had been hiding to stretch out next to her. Dave turned off the main light he had flipped on when he had rushed into the bedroom and made his way over to the chair by the window. From there he watched over her for the rest of the night.

* * *

The next morning, Emily looked and felt like hell. When she first awoke she couldn't remember what had happened to make her feel like death warmed over. Then it all came flooding back; she had held her friend at gunpoint. Right then and there she wanted to bury her head beneath the blankets and never come out. But she couldn't do that. She owed Dave an explanation even if it came out sounding lame. Then she would swallow her pride and beg her mother for some money so that she could move to a hotel and not be a threat to those she cared for. So she forced herself to get out of bed, a bed she couldn't remember getting back into. Emily threw on her robe and slunk downstairs, hoping to avoid Dave for a while.

Dave was standing at the island pouring a cup of coffee when she staggered down. Emily did not look good to his eyes. There were dark circles under her eyes, her hair was a mess and she hadn't bothered to get dressed. Last night had really taken its toll on her and it looked like she could use a good pick me up.

He held up the pot. "Coffee?"

The moment he spoke Emily was swamped with guilt for what she had done. She looked away, unable to meet his eyes. "Can't…ulcer," she mumbled.

Dave blinked in surprise. "Ulcer?" he echoed. "Since when?"

"Since Paris."

He nodded. Now that he was aware of it he couldn't recall seeing her drinking coffee. He had just assumed she was having some when he wasn't there. "Hungry?" he asked even though he knew what she was going to say.

Emily shook her head. "Not really."

"Well, at least have some juice." He pointed at the stool. "Sit. I'll get it for you."

Emily hesitated then complied while Dave poured her a tall glass of orange juice. "Drink," he said, pressing it into her unresisting hand.

As she downed half of it he pulled out the other stool and sat down next her. "Right now I can read you like an open book. You want to try to apologize for something that needs no apology and it is not necessary. What I do think we need to talk about is this." He set the unloaded Glock on the countertop between them.

She stared at the gun and automatically reached for it. Her hand hovered over it, not quite touching it. When she realized what she was doing she snatched her hand back in embarrassment, but she couldn't take her eyes off the gun. It was begging her to pick it up. Dave saw the tug of war going on in her mind.

"Where did you get the gun?" Dave asked, keeping his tone casual and not adversarial. She was already upset about last night and he didn't want her to feel worse.

"I found my gun safe in one of the boxes of clothes JJ dropped off," she explained quietly.

"So it is your backup," he observed with a nod.

"Yes." If Emily were able to pick her nails she would have done so.

"Do you keep it on your nightstand?"

"No. I sleep with it under my pillow, and during the day when you're not home I keep it with me."

"Why not when I'm here?" he asked in curiosity.

Emily focused harder on the gun. "Because I feel safe when you're here and," she paused to gather her nerve, "I was afraid you would take it away from me if you knew," she confessed.

Now he was genuinely puzzled. "Why would you think that?"

She shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I just did."

Dave nodded. "So when you leave the house the gun goes with you?"

"Yes."

"You had it on you when you went to physical therapy and the zoo? And that's why you were worried where your jacket disappeared to?"

Emily tore her eyes off the weapon and glared at him. "Yes. I had to protect Jack," she said fiercely.

He held up his hands. "I get where you're coming from," he said and watched her anger evaporate. "May I ask you one more question before we table this talk?"

"Sure," she said warily.

"Do you carry it out of habit or do you need it?"

"I need it. I need it to feel safe," she said softly, her voice cracking. "Without it I feel incomplete, defenseless."

"I see," he said vaguely and dropped his eyes to study the weapon lying on the countertop.

Emily's stomach sank. She had been hoping he would see it her way and let her keep it, but the longer he remained silent the odds of that happening shrank. _He's going to take it away from me after all. How will I be able to function without its presence?_

"I think you're going to need these," Dave said, interrupting her thoughts. Emily looked down to see him placing the ammo clip and a left-handed holster next to the Glock.

"Are you sure?" she asked in amazement. "You're not afraid I'll hurt myself or someone with it?"

"Yes, I'm sure." He picked up the gun and slipped the clip home. "I just want you to feel safe, Emily." He held it out to her butt first. "I hope one day you'll feel safe enough that you won't need it."

"So do I," she admitted. "I don't like living like this." She took the gun and put it in the holster then placed it on her hip, comforted by its weight.

"You sure you don't want something to eat?" he asked rising and resting his hand lightly on her shoulder. "I'll make you whatever your heart desires."

"Positive," she said with a wan smile. Last night's events still weighed heavily on her. While Dave made his breakfast, Emily fiddled with her orange juice glass turning it in circles. It bothered her that Dave thought what happened was nothing big, that it was a common everyday occurrence. What she did was inexcusable and if she didn't do something to make it right between them she would drown in the guilt.

"Dave?" she asked tentatively.

"Hmmm?" he said absently, not looking up from the sausages he was frying.

Emily licked her lips. "I'm really sorry about last night. What I did to you was inexcusable."

Dave turned the flame off under the pan to give her his full attention. "Emily, I told you no apology was necessary. Last night was no big deal. It was a minor bump in your road to recovery. You're going to have a few of those."

"No big deal?" she asked in amazement. "I almost shot you!"

He shrugged it off. "But you didn't."

Emily felt her frustration mounting. "It doesn't matter if I did or didn't. The fact of the matter is that I had a gun pointing at your chest. If I did it once there is a good chance I'll do it again."

"Emily…"

She stood up. "I can't let that happen. I…I have to leave. I'll borrow money from Mother and go stay at a hotel."

Dave arched an eyebrow in amusement. "So you want to go shoot at the unsuspecting housekeeping staff instead?"

Emily's face blanched at the word 'housekeeping' and Dave finally understood what had occurred when Mrs. Mueller came to clean the house. The housekeeper's sudden appearance had triggered a flashback and Emily must have gone in survival mode and hidden, ready to shoot if she was discovered.

Dave came around the island and guided her to the couch. Emily reluctantly sat down and wrapped her arm around herself. She didn't want to be here. She had said what she needed to say and didn't want to talk about it anymore. She simply wanted to be left alone.

"Emily, I need you to listen closely to me," he urged. "Last night was not your fault. You can't determine when a flashback is going strike, nor can you control what you do during it. The only thing within you power is how you deal with the aftermath."

"I know but…" she started.

"I know you would never intentionally draw you weapon on me. It was a really crappy ending for an even crappier day," he tossed out, trying to get a reaction from her.

The corner of her mouth curled into a small smile at his description of her day. He nailed it.

"And you're not going to go torment the staff of some hotel. You're going to stay here where we can torment the hell out of each other. Together we'll get through this," he said with a smile. "Deal?"

She nodded. "Deal."

"Good." He took a closer look at her face. It was the same lost and confused look she wore at the end of Matthew Benton's case. "You want some time alone don't you?" he wagered.

She smiled weakly. "Yes. Do you mind?"

"Not at all," he said. "Take all the time you want. I'll be here if you need anything, as always."

"Thank you, Dave," she said sincerely. Emily climbed to her feet and shuffled off through the French doors. Feeling cold, she pulled one of the outdoor chairs over into a patch of warm sunshine and sat down to gaze into the cloudless sky.

* * *

Four hours later Emily was still out there, sitting motionlessly. The only sign of life Dave saw was when the shade took over for the sun and she pulled her robe tighter around her body. He was debating if he should start getting worried when the doorbell interrupted his thoughts. He found Derek standing on the front porch when he swung the door open.

Dave frowned slightly. "Morgan, you know you're supposed to call first before coming over."

"I know," he said as he stepped inside, "but it would help if one of you guys answered your phone. After trying to reach either of you for an hour I decided to come over anyways and check if everything was okay."

"Sorry about that," Dave said with a grimace. "But I must say your timing is impeccable."

Derek's eyebrows shot up. "How so?"

Dave cast a glance at the French doors and beyond. Derek followed his eyes. "Emily had a rough night and I think a change in scenery would be good for her."

"Say no more," Derek said, holding up his hand. "I was planning to see if she would like to go out for lunch."

"Perfect."

Derek jerked his thumb at the doors leading outside. "Emily out on the patio?"

Dave nodded and the younger agent walked over. He paused to gaze at his friend who seemed to be lost in her head. He knocked on the doorframe to announce his presence. "Hey, Brown Eyes. Mind if I join you?"

Emily jumped and turned around frowning. "Morgan, what are you doing here?"

"Well, hello to you too." He grinned and sauntered out on to the patio.

"Did Rossi call and ask you to come over here because I needed some hand holding?" she shot back.

"Whoa! Slow down, Prentiss," he said, holding up his hands in self-defense. _Dave hadn't mentioned she was also touchy,_ he thought. "Nobody called me. I decided to come over all by my little old self. I wanted to take my favorite brunette out to lunch."

"Oh," she said, her annoyance fading. Emily turned her eyes back to the garden. "I'm sorry, Derek. I'm not in a very good mood."

"So I see," he said with a chuckle. He pulled up an empty chair. "What do you say, Emily? Let's go pig out on some greasy burgers and shoot the breeze. You got to be tired of Italian by now," he teased.

Emily smiled briefly then shook her head. "I don't thinks so, Derek. I wouldn't be good company."

Derek straightened as if he had been shot and placed his hands over his heart. "You hurt me, Prentiss. You're willing to hang out with Baby Girl, Reid, JJ and even Jack. But when your one and only partner comes a calling, you bounce him to the curb on his fine black ass."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Oh please."

Derek laughed then leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Well?" he prodded, wriggling his eyebrows while looking hopeful.

She looked down at her pajamas and robe and ran a hand through her uncombed hair. "I'm not dressed for an afternoon out."

He waved a hand dismissively. "Then go change. I can entertain myself for an hour."

Emily really didn't want to go. The way she felt made her want to stay here, protected from the outside world. Where she could hide in her head and pretend that nothing was wrong. She looked up to tell him no and silently cursed. _Damn him!_ He was giving her the same sad puppy dog eyes Mudgie had used to get her to take him for a walk. But she could resist Derek Morgan; he wasn't as cute as the dog.

Her resolve lasted for a whole two minutes. She sighed loudly and slowly stood up. "I'll go," she said in defeat.

"Great!" he said in obvious delight.

As she turned to go back in, Emily caught the glint of triumph in his eyes. With a shake of her head she went upstairs to change, all the while grumbling under her breath in French.

"Judging from the grin on your face, Morgan," Dave observed as the black agent came back in to join him, "is it a safe bet to assume that you managed to persuade Emily to accept your lunch invitation?"

"That it is. It took all of my boyish charm but in the end she said yes."

"Right," Dave said with a smirk and a slight roll of the eyes. Derek chuckled. The senior agent then poked him in the chest. "I do have one request though."

"Name it," Derek said.

"I don't want to see hide nor hair of either of the two of you for the next four to six hours."

* * *

_And Derek Morgan makes his appearance. His timing was perfect I would say. Thanks for all the reviews and those who have chosen to follow this story. Don't forget to tell me what you thought of this one. Until next Wednesday._


	13. Chapter 13

_Well folks, here is the next chapter. It is shorter than what I normal write but it says all it needs to say. So now go read and enjoy. See you at the end._

* * *

A little over an hour later found Derek and Emily tucked in a booth next to the large plate glass window of a tavern called the Dirty Duck. It was as seedy on the outside as it was on the inside, but it had the reputation of making the best hamburgers west of DC. The window gave Emily the option of watching the traffic flow by if there were topics she wanted to avoid talking about.

After leaving Derek on the patio, Emily had gone to her room to change. She had taken a quick shower and had donned jeans and a comfortable shirt. Sitting on the bed, she tugged on her tennis shoes that she now left tied so that she didn't have to pester Dave to tie the laces every time she wanted to wear them. Then, against medical advice, Emily managed to get her right arm above her shoulder and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Once her arm was back in its sling and strapped into place, Emily gave herself a once over and decided she looked respectable enough to go out.

Knowing that Dave would probably hound her about not taking her cane, she grabbed it from its place next to the door. In the doorway Emily hesitated and turned back to look at the gun in its holster lying on the nightstand. There was really no reason for her to take it with her. She would be with Derek and she felt safe in his company but then…. Emily bowed her head and sighed. She went over to the table, scooped it up and settled it on her hip. Covering the weapon with her shirt, she went down to meet up with Derek.

Now the two friends sat with their noses buried in their respective menus. "So what are you having?" Derek asked, setting his aside.

Emily smiled. "The usual minus the fries." The tavern always served all their meals with a heaping pile of fries that one person alone could not finish, so the two of them usually split one order between them.

A bored waitress wandered over to take their orders and Derek chuckled when she also asked for a cookies and cream milkshake. "Baby Girl got you hooked on those hasn't she?"

"Yeah, she did."

Derek leaned back in his seat and studied his best friend and partner. He liked what he saw. Emily felt his eyes boring into her. She looked up at him, puzzled. "What?"

"You're looking good," he said with a grin, "from the last time I saw you in the hospital." He gestured to her face. "Especially around the eyes."

She laughed. "The raccoon eyes finally faded a couple weeks ago. I no longer spook myself when I look in a mirror."

He chuckled. "And, Girl, you got a nice tan going. Rossi hiding a tanning salon in that house of his?"

"No. Mudgie and I have been taking a lot of walks to the park."

Derek's eyebrows went up. "I didn't know you were a dog person."

Emily shrugged. "I didn't know I was until I ended up living with one for five weeks. But Sergio is still the love of my life."

He pretended to be hurt. "I'm outranked by a cat?"

"Yup," she said and fell silent while the waitress dropped off her milkshake. Using a spoon she removed the cherry and set it aside. Then she mixed in the whipped cream and took a sip before continuing, "Sergio is cuddly, he doesn't hog the covers and doesn't leave the toilet seat up," she said with a straight face.

He blinked at her then threw his head back and laughed. "God, how I missed your sense of humor."

Emily smiled with him but Derek failed to notice that it didn't reach her eyes. At the moment they were filled with guilt for the pain she had caused him. When their burgers arrived, she had tucked it out of sight so that it wouldn't ruin the nice lunch they were having.

"May I?" he asked, gesturing to her plate. Emily nodded and Derek pulled it over. He cut the hamburger in half for easier handling and dumped her share of the fries on to her plate. "How's that?" he asked, sliding it back across the table.

"Good," she said with a nod and reached for the ketchup. "Tell me, Derek, what you've been up to since I last saw you?"

* * *

Throughout lunch Emily quietly ate her hamburger and fries, taking pleasure in listening to Derek talk. The way he was treating her was refreshing. JJ, Reid and Garcia tiptoed around her; worried she might break, asking her how she was doing and if she wanted to talk. Derek wasn't doing any of those things; he simply acted like she had never left.

The more she thought about it, the more troubled she grew. Of all the people on her team, Derek was the one she had hurt the most that night. She had put him through hell in the warehouse and he was behaving as if nothing had happened. Come to think of it, during his visits with her at the hospital they had danced around the issue.

"Earth to Emily!"

"Huh?" she blinked in surprise. Derek was leaning across the table waving a hand in front of her face.

"You were a million miles away," he said with a grin.

She smiled self-consciously. "Sorry. I've been doing that a lot lately. Guess I have a lot of stuff on my mind."

He settled back and polished of the last of his fries. "That's understandable," he said and left it at that. Everyone else would have pushed her to say more.

"What were you saying before?" she asked.

"I wanted to know what you wanted to do next." He reached back over the table to steal her few remaining fries. Emily swatted his hand away. He pulled it back, grinning.

"Walk with me?" she blurted out. She wanted to talk with him but not here in the tavern, it was too public for this very personal conversation.

"Sure," he said with a nod and waved to the waitress for the bill.

Emily slid out of the booth and waited just outside the door while he settled up with the cashier. She used that time to organize her thoughts, to get what she wanted to say in some reasonable order. When Derek came out they slowly made their way down the sidewalk. It was a perfect day for a walk. The sun was high in the clear, blue sky and the street was lined with trees whose broad boughs shaded the sidewalk.

Emily looked straight ahead, knowing if she looked at him she would lose her nerve. "Derek?"

He looked at her. "Yes?"

She took a deep breath and was surprised her voice came out strong and steady. "I have something I need to say to you, but I also need you to let me get through it without interruption. Otherwise I'll never get it out."

"You have my word," he said solemnly.

"I am so sorry for what I put you through. You did not deserve that. No one does."

"Emily…" he began.

She spared a glance at him. "You promised."

"I did. Go on please," he said with a nod.

"I can't image what it was like for you to find me on the floor of that warehouse bleeding out. How helpless you must have felt. Then when JJ told you I had died the blame you must have piled on yourself for not getting there in time. I wish I could have spared you from that."

Derek stopped walking and his eyes closed briefly. But his face exposed the obvious pain she'd brought back. It was as if the images he had fought so hard to bury deep were slammed into the foreground. It was all the pain and guilt she had wanted to keep him from. She could tell he was not fully prepared for the conversation, as much as she was not for initiating it. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it to respect her earlier wish and took a step forward.

"But it happened and there is nothing I can do to take it back. If I could go back in time and change it I would in an instant, but I can't. I completely understand if you are pissed at me and I don't blame you. All I can say again is that I am so sorry."

He stopped again and turned to her. "May I say something now?" he asked quietly.

"Of course," she said softly and absently fiddled with cane in her hand.

"I was pissed at you," he said and watched a look of sadness fall over her face. "But I was angry at you for not telling me, telling us about your time with the CIA. I felt betrayed, that our friendship was a lie and I disowned you. I tore apart everything you did when you went after Doyle."

Emily nodded. She had hurt him more than she had thought. Unconsciously she took a few steps back, feeling the gap of distrust between them widening. But he didn't let her retreat and gently grabbed her arm to stop her.

"But then I learned the real reason you took the fight to him. Everything you had done was to protect one little boy and us. I was so proud of you then and I am still proud of you today. I just wish you had trusted me enough to tell me."

Emily stared down at the ants swarming in the crack in the sidewalk. She used her foot to knock down the anthill. "I wanted to but I couldn't. It was classified and if I told you it would have put all of you in danger. You have to understand Doyle was dangerous, Derek. He knew all about you guys and your habits and he would have easily taken you out. I couldn't let that happen. I had to protect you."

He nodded. "I understand that now but it still hurt."

"I get it. I truly do." Emily reached out and touched his arm. "I need to tell you something else. I don't remember much after Doyle stabbed me. All I knew was that I was tired and cold and that I was dying. I was okay with it. I knew what the outcome was going to be when I went after him and I had accepted it. The only thing I didn't like was that I was going to die alone. Then you came."

Derek reached across and took her hand. His eyes did not waver from hers and she couldn't look away, no matter how much the overwhelming emotions boiling over made her want to run. His eyes spoke more than any words could. The love, the loss, the pain, the hope, and the pure connection that they had that no one would ever understand.

"Then you came and took my hands and I knew that wasn't going to happen, instead I was going die in the arms of my best friend and partner," Emily's voice cracked with emotion.

"Is that why you asked me to let you go?" he asked softly.

Emily looked at him in confusion. "I did?" He nodded wordlessly. "Oh, Derek, I am so sorry. I never should have asked that of you. That was unfair of me."

He smiled wanly. "I didn't listen."

"I'm glad you didn't. I vaguely remember you asking me to hang on so I hung on as hard as I could. I wouldn't have made it if I hadn't felt your strength flowing into me from your hands and your voice." Emily pulled him into a hug and she felt him wrapping his arms around her and holding on as tight as he could. "Thank you for saving me," she whispered in his ear.

"Thank you for fighting and coming back to us. I missed you," he whispered back.

* * *

_Seems like Emily and Derek finally got out what needed to be said. Do let me know what you think. Until next week then._


	14. Chapter 14

_Welcome back! Thanks for all the great reviews. I was hoping for 5 and ya'll doubled it. Thank you! Thank you! Now go read and enjoy. We'll chat at the end._

* * *

Emily couldn't sleep. Though not through lacking of trying. She had gone to bed early but tossed and turned for hours, unable to find a comfortable position. Staring at the ceiling and thinking happy thoughts hadn't helped. Sighing in defeat, Emily sat up and threw back the covers, burying her furry sleeping companion. Keeping the lights off, she slipped her feet into her slippers, pulled the robe up over her arm, and draped the other side over her bad shoulder. Before heading downstairs she retrieved the gun from under the pillow.

The house was dark and deathly silent as she and her black shadow descended the stairs. In the kitchen Emily poured herself a small glass of wine. Glass in hand, she went out onto the front porch and leaned against a pillar, gazing out over the slumbering neighborhood softly lit by the streetlights. Taking a sip of the wine, she let her eyes drift up to the cloudless sky filled with pinpricks of twinkling distant stars.

The events of the last two days had left Emily emotionally drained and mentally exhausted. One benefit of not being able to fall asleep was that there were no nightmares to be frightened of. Her mother's visit hadn't resolved any of the issues between them. It had only left her more confused. Talking to Dave about it had helped a little but it hadn't prevented the downhill spiral that had culminated in her pulling her weapon on him. Maybe the bottomless pit that was her life for the past year actually had a bottom and she had slammed face first into it.

Emily took another sip then set the glass down so that she could pull the robe tighter around her body to ward off the nighttime chill. She had wallowed in the pain of her freefall for a while; then Dave reappeared, offered her his hand, and pulled her to her feet. Their second talk had showed her that it was possible to climb out of the pit she was in and that the team would be there rooting for her the whole way up.

The talk with Derek this afternoon had eased some of the burden weighing heavily on her heart. She had hoped she had relieved him of the guilt he had felt for not saving her in time. Her guilt, on the other hand, for what she had put him through had not diminished. It was an emotional scar that would be with her for the rest of her life. The conversation had been difficult for both of them but they got through it. For her it was a step forward in repairing her relationship with Derek that one day he would trust her enough to be her partner again.

The hooting of an owl broke through the tranquility of the neighborhood. Emily downed the rest of the wine and felt its warmth flow through her body. She yawned; suddenly feeling tired, and decided to take another stab at sleeping. Before heading back to bed Emily took one last look at the starry night. Could it be possible that all of this was a sign that there was a light at the end of the tunnel and things were starting to turn around for her?

* * *

Emily wasn't the only one in the house who couldn't sleep. Dave lay in his bed, hands behind his head, gazing out the window. He heard her get up and go downstairs. He resisted the urge to go check on her, knowing it would only annoy her and make her feel like a ten year old. Instead he rolled over on his side.

When Derek had brought Emily home six hours later he could see the change in her demeanor. She was still quiet but she was no longer brooding and hiding out in her head. Something major had happened between them and it had a positive effect on their friendship. Dave didn't pry, figuring Emily would tell him if she wanted to, and he doubted she would. Emily fiercely protected her privacy.

He stayed awake until he heard her limping footsteps on the stairs and the soft click of her bedroom door closing. Now that she had safely returned Dave let himself drift off. His last thought was that over the past five weeks Emily had made a lot of progress both physically and mentally. Maybe now she was ready for the next phase in her recovery.

* * *

Dave knocked on the open door of Hotch's office. "Aaron, do you have a minute?"

Hotch looked up from the case file he was reviewing. "Sure," he said, pushing the folder to one side and gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk.

The older man settled into one. He rested an ankle on one knee and folded his hand over his stomach. "I want to talk to you about Emily."

"What about Prentiss?" he asked with a puzzled look. "Is there something wrong with her?"

Dave waved a dismissive hand. "She's fine. I was thinking it was time for Emily to return to work."

Hotch frowned as he glanced over the surface of his desk and at the various piles of files. "Has she fully recovered from her injuries? I haven't received any paperwork from her doctor clearing her for duty."

"No. The last time she went to the doctor she was told it would probably be another month for the collarbone to heal. But she is seeing Dr. Barrett later this week so that diagnosis may change."

Hotch held out his hands in surrender. "Until I get those reports there is nothing I can do, Dave. Prentiss will just have to wait the extra month."

Dave let out a snort of disgust. "So you're telling me because of her slow-healing collarbone Emily can't return to work." Hotch nodded in agreement. "Yet when Reid was shot in the knee we hauled him all over the country, first on crutches and then with a cane. Doesn't seem very fair to me."

"I agree," he said, "and as much as I want Prentiss here my hands are tied. What brought this on, Dave? Has she been asking you about it?"

"No," the older profiler said with a shake of his head. "Emily hasn't mentioned it. It's my idea."

Hotch folded his hands on top of the desk blotter. "Why do you think she's ready to come back?"

Dave dropped his foot to the floor so that he could lean forward. "Emily's been making a lot of progress over the last five weeks. Yes, there has been a few bumps in the road but that was to be expected," he said, correctly anticipating the Unit Chief's next question.

"She is starting to reconnect with the team on a personal level. I believe it is time for her to reconnect with them on a professional level. It would be good for all parties involved and speed up Emily's emotional recovery. She's been isolated from her family for almost seven months: first in Bethesda, then in Paris, and finally at my place. It's time for her to resume her life."

Hotch leaned back in his chair, carefully contemplating Dave's proposal. All of his points had some validity. He sighed and asked, "What do you want me to do, Dave?"

"It's simple, Aaron. Talk to her doctor and physical therapist and see if they are willing to sign off on Emily returning to restrictive duty. I admit she is nowhere ready to return to the field, but flying a desk for awhile will give her time to acclimated to the BAU, her job and the team."

"Okay, Dave. I'll give it a try but I can't guarantee anything," he said with an arch of an eyebrow.

Dave smiled. "Works for me."

* * *

Mudgie let out a sharp bark of frustration when the other dog got to the tennis ball first and ran off. The Lab barked a second time and took off after him, intent on getting his ball back. Emily laughed at him from her spot on the bench. A Golden Retriever, by the name of Moses, had joined their game of fetch. Moses drove Mudgie nuts because he actually waited for Emily to throw the ball so he always got it. They would playfully tussle over it and eventually the Lab would trot back triumphantly with the ball in his mouth.

The last couple of days had been good to Emily. There had been no minor traumas, no major headaches, though her mother had called once which had surprised her. She had been sure that the Ambassador would renege on her promise. Emily had ended up sitting on her bed staring at the ringing phone in her hand. She couldn't make herself answer it and it eventually rolled over to voicemail. She then deleted the message without listening to it. It was nice to see that her mother was making a small effort to stay in contact but it was too soon for Emily. She needed more time to sort through her feelings.

This week's visit to the doctor had gone better than she had thought it would. Emily was finally able to trade in the stiff and heavy brace she had been wearing on her wrist and hand for the past two months for one that was lightweight and flexible. The splints on her two fingers had also been taken off and the first thing Emily did was to scratch the itch that had been plaguing her for weeks. The only setback was that her collarbone was taking its grand old time knitting itself back together. That meant she was stuck wearing the sling for another two to four weeks.

Mudgie had just deposited the ball in her lap when she heard someone shouting out her name. Emily looked over her shoulder to see Jack Hotchner barreling towards her.

"Em'ly!" he shouted again, scrambling up on the bench and wrapping his arms around her neck.

"Hey, Jack," she greeted him in surprise, giving the boy a one arm hug. "How did you get here?'

"Daddy brought me," he answered somewhat distractedly, his curious eyes now focused on the two dogs sitting at attention, waiting impatiently for the game of fetch to be resumed.

"Hi, Emily," Hotch said, coming to a stop next to bench. Instead of his stiff, unyielding suits he was dressed in a navy polo shirt and casual khaki pants. Emily knew she could count on one hand the number of times she had seen him without a tie.

Emily smiled at her boss. "Hi, Hotch. So what brings you out here?"

He returned the smile. "I wanted to talk with you and Dave said I would find you here. I had also promised Jack to take him to the park so I decided to kill two birds with one stone."

Jack frowned up at his father from Emily's lap. "Why do you want to kill two birds, Daddy?"

Hotch and Emily chuckled. "I don't, Buddy. It's just an expression that I can get two things done at the same place." He tousled his son's hair.

"Oh, okay," Jack said, looking back at the dogs.

Emily picked up the tennis ball and held it out to the boy. "Hey, Sport, why don't you go play fetch with Moses and Mudgie while your daddy and I talk."

"Okay," he agreed, taking the ball and sliding off her lap. He gazed at the two dogs. "Come on, guys," he said and ran off. Moses and Mudgie looked at each other then took off after the little boy. Moments later a giggling Jack disappeared under a pile of yellow and black fur.

Emily scooted over on the bench so that Hotch could sit down. He watched his son play with the dogs. "Jack really loves that book you gave him. He has his nose buried in it every day."

She smiled and brushed her hair away from her face. "I was hoping he would. I could tell from the way he was acting at the zoo that he loves animals." Emily had asked Dave to see if Garcia could wrap the book and then deliver it to Hotch. She had wanted the present to look nice and if she had attempted to wrap it one handed it would have looked like a disaster zone.

"He really does. Jack wanted to call you several times and tell you about the animals he's read up on. I've managed to hold him off because I wasn't sure if you wanted to receive those kinds of phone calls."

"I don't mind at all, Hotch. I like listening to him talk." Emily frowned slightly. "Speaking of talking, what did you want to discuss with me?"

"I have a proposal for you," he informed her.

"Gee, Hotch, don't you think we should go out on a couple of dates first before you propose marriage to me?" she asked with a straight face.

The corner of his mouth curled into a smile. "I see that your wry sense of humor is returning, smartass."

Emily chuckled and waved her hand at him. "Sorry, Hotch. I couldn't resist. Please go on."

Hotch paused to collect his thoughts. "I've received the paperwork from your doctor and physical therapist clearing you for restrictive duty."

Emily blinked in surprise. That was the last thing she had expected to come out of Hotch's mouth. She had been so focused on trying to survive her trauma that she hadn't given much thought to when she would return to work. She just knew at some point she would. "Wow," was all she could get out.

"Do you think you're ready to come back?" he asked.

"Ummm…" she said, licking her lips. "When would I start?"

"Monday," Hotch said. "But before you say anything there are a few limitations. You have not been cleared for field duty so basically you'll be riding a desk doing consults and reexamining cold cases."

She nodded wordlessly so Hotch continued. "And you will have to attend mandatory counseling sessions with the bureau's psychologist in addition to your physical therapy."

"I understand," she said.

Hotch turned his eyes on her and they softened. "Even though you can't travel with the team I want you to be actively involved in the case from start to finish. You can do it from Garcia's lair or you can set up your own murder board in the conference room. We want to have the ability to pick your brain. Some of our past cases took longer to solve because we were lacking your perceptive insight."

Emily was a little embarrassed by his words but she knew he was simply telling her as he saw it. "I can do that."

He smiled. "Good. There is one more thing."

A guarded look came over her face. "What is it?" she asked warily.

Hotch grew serious. "I want you to make a deal with me, Emily. Please do not push yourself just to prove you're fit for duty. I want you to take your time, work a schedule that fits you until you've adjusted to being back. If that means coming in later or leaving early then do it."

"Okay."

"And I know you're still going to have bad days." Emily bristled at his words and opened her mouth to protest but he stopped her. "Dave hasn't told me anything; he's been protecting your right to privacy. I'm simply speaking from experience. My assault at the hands of Foyet differs from yours but I've been in your headspace. All I am asking of you is to tell me when you're having a bad day."

Emily looked at him in suspicion. "That's it? You don't want me to talk about it?"

Hotch shrugged. "Only if you want to and I highly doubt you would. Otherwise that's it. Deal?"

Emily nodded her head. "Deal."

* * *

_Yay! Looks like Emily has turned the corner and is returning to work. Sad to say the story is winding down and coming to a conclusion. Now to sound like a broken record; don't forget to tell me what you think. Until next week then._


	15. Chapter 15

_Here we go folks! Emily's first day back at the BAU. Enjoy._

* * *

Dave and Emily stood shoulder to shoulder in the elevator watching the floor indicator creep up to six. Absent-mindedly she ran her hand along the sling. As each floor passed the more uncertain she grew.

He arched an amused eyebrow at her. "Are you ready for this?"

Emily smiled weakly. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Dave chuckled as the bell dinged announcing that they had arrived at their final destination. The door slid open and Emily hesitated, suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to flee. Tumultuous thoughts tumbled through her mind. _I do not belong here. I no longer have the right to call this place home. I abandoned my job, my team, and my friends. What the hell was I thinking? I'm not welcomed here. I don't deserve a second chance._ Unnerved, Emily retreated to the back of the elevator.

The older agent turned to see if she was following and saw the look of fear etched on her face. He stuck his hand out to stop the door from closing and stepped back in. Garcia, who was hovering excitedly just inside the doors of the BAU, saw him exit and pushed through them, ready to welcome back her long-lost friend. Dave caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye and hurriedly waved her off. Garcia's beaming face shifted to a look of confusion as she did as she was told to do and stopped. She stood there and watched the doors close.

Reid came up behind her. "Wasn't that Dave and Emily?" Garcia nodded numbly. "Why didn't they get off?" he asked with a puzzled look.

Garcia found her voice. "I have no idea," she whispered.

* * *

Dave looked at the woman pressed against the back of the elevator. This was not the strong and confident Emily Prentiss he knew. Her defensive walls had crumbled and all he saw was a terrified child.

"Emily, what's wrong?" he asked softly, maintaining his distance.

Her dark brown eyes were wide with fright. "I…I can't…go in there," she stammered.

"Why not?"

"I'm not wanted here. What I did was unforgivable. I burned all my bridges when I walked out."

"That's not true, Emily. Everyone has been waiting for you to come back."

She shook her head frantically. "Yes it is. I have no right to call this place home." Emily swallow hard. "Tell…tell Hotch I'm having a bad day and that I'm sorry. I can't do this."

"Yes you can."

"No I can't," she cried, her voice cracking. "Tell him that I am tendering my resignation effective immediately."

He had to snap her out of it so he did something he hadn't done during the six weeks she had been staying with him. Dave surged across the small space and got in her face.

"You don't do this, Prentiss, then Doyle wins," he growled at her. Emily stared at him, eyes wide in shock, mouth in the shape of a small 'o'. He jabbed a finger at the door of the elevator. "You slink away with your tail between your legs and Doyle gets his revenge. He will have broken you, leaving nothing behind but the shell of the woman you once were," he said harshly. "Are you going to let a dead man destroy you?"

His words had the desired effect. The Emily Prentiss he knew and loved resurfaced. Emily's eyes flared to life, burning with anger. She straightened her back, hand clutching the cane in a tight fist, her walls of protection slamming back into place. "No," she said through clenched teeth.

He grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a little shake then grinned broadly. "That's my girl!" he boasted like a proud father.

Emily gaped at him in silence, at a loss for words. He laughed lightly as he explained. "I had to snap you out of your funk and the only way I could think of was to get you angry. Though, I did briefly consider slapping you, but I was afraid you would crack me over the head with your cane."

The tension filling the small space and Emily's anger evaporated. She let out a shuddering laugh. "Probably."

Still grinning, he looked intently at her. "You good?"

Emily gave him a shaky smile. "I'm good."

Dave turned to punch the button for the sixth floor. "Are you ready to give it a second go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Emily said, echoing her earlier words.

* * *

Outside the doors of the BAU Emily hesitated for a second time. She reached out to touch Dave lightly on the arm. "Please tell me that Garcia has not planned a big, noisy welcome back party."

Dave smirked. "And what if she has?"

"Then I'm turning around and getting right back on the elevator," she responded.

He chuckled. "Have no fear, Kiddo. Derek managed to talk her out of it and keep it a quiet affair."

"Thank god for small favors. I owe him big time," she said as he held the door open for her.

"Though I didn't say Garcia would tone herself down," Dave commented as the brightly garbed technical analyst engulfed Emily in a huge hug the moment she stepped through.

"Oh, Em, it's sooo good to have you back!" she squealed in Emily's ear.

"I glad to be back too, Penelope," she gasped. "But could you ease up a bit? I can't breathe."

"Gosh, Emily, I'm sorry," she said contritely, blushing in embarrassment and breaking the embrace. "Did I hurt you?' she asked anxiously, attempting to straighten the sling.

Emily laughed. "No, you didn't."

But before she could say anything more she was pulled into another round of gentle hugs from JJ, Derek and Reid. When she came up for air Garcia latched on to her free hand and tugged her further into the room. Emily looked back over her shoulder at Dave, hoping he would step in and rescue her from whatever the bubbly blonde had up her sleeve. Dave merely winked and followed with the rest of the team.

"Come with me, Gumdrop," Penelope said excitedly.

Emily breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that they were not heading to the conference room but to where her old desk used to be. Idly she wondered who occupied it now. She was snapped back to the here and now when the analyst skidded to a stop.

"Ta dah!" she announced with a sweep of her arms.

The first thing Emily saw was the huge arrangement of flowers with multiple colorful balloons with one that read 'Welcome back'. The second was the desk. It was her desk and it looked exactly the same way she had left it.

Garcia pulled out the chair and pointed to it. "Sit, sit, sit," she said.

Emily sat down and ran her hand reverently over the surface of the desk. Then she reached out to finger her nameplate with its familiar FBI logo. "I hope you didn't keep my desk exactly how I left it for all these months." She didn't like the idea that it been used as a sad excuse of a memoriam to her stupidity.

"No. I packed everything up," Penelope told her, " and kept the box in my lair. Then when you agreed to come back I put it all back where I found it."

"And it the meantime," Derek added with a grin, "Baby Girl here yelled at anyone who dared to lean against your desk."

Reid stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth. "Yup," he agreed. "Anderson now ducks for cover whenever he sees her." Everyone laughed, even Emily, though it didn't reach her eyes. It was just another example of how she hurt the team.

Garcia turned around and snatched a box off of Morgan's old desk. She folded back the lid and held it out. "I made these for you."

Emily's face split into a wide smile and her eyes lit up in delight. "Your cupcakes?"

"Uh huh. Yellow cake with chocolate frosting, just the way you like them," she said as Emily peered into the box to read what was written on top of the cupcakes.

Emily glanced up at the technical analyst with a puzzled look. "Welcome back Emil?"

"What?" Penelope exclaimed and peeked over the lid. "Damn!" she swore. "Kevin must have eaten the 'Y'. I told him not to touch them," she fumed.

"That's okay, Pen," Emily said with a laugh. "But I call dibs on the rest of my name." She removed the cupcakes from the box and lined them up in a neat row, accidentally spelling out the word 'lime'. Garcia then dispersed the rest among the team.

As Emily was contemplating which of the remaining cupcakes to eat next, Hotch leaned in and said softly, "Prentiss, when you have a chance, could you stop by my office?"

"Sure," she said after using a napkin to wipe the crumbs from her mouth. She looked around and saw the rest of the team were engaged in other conversations so she got up and followed Hotch into his office.

He surprised her by gesturing to the couch and not to the chairs placed strategically in front of the desk. She couldn't recall ever be asked to sit there and have a conversation. Not sure where this was going, Emily eased down on the leather cushion and warily watched her boss go over to his desk. Hotch pulled open a drawer and removed something from its depth. With an impassive face he came back over and settled at the far end of the couch.

"I believe these belong to you," he said casually. In the space between them he placed her gun, credentials and ID badge.

"You didn't turn them in?" she asked, picking up her credentials and flipping it open, staring at her picture as if it was one of a complete stranger.

Hotch shook his head. "I held on to them because I knew you would return one day."

"You had more confidence in that happening than I ever did," she said softly, slipping the credentials into her back pocket and clipping the badge to the strap of the sling, covering up the visitor's badge dangling there. "But thank you, Hotch."

He nodded then his annoyed frown appeared and Emily knew she was in for a tongue-lashing. Surprisingly she was actually looking forward to it. "Don't ever do that again, Prentiss," he said sharply. "The next time you find yourself in a sticky situation come to me first. Don't run away and make us chase after you."

"I will," she said sincerely. "You have my word."

"Good," he said with a stiff nod. Hotch's face then softened and he smiled slightly. "Consider yourself reprimanded."

"Yes, Sir," she said with a smile of her own. "Duly noted."

"Now on to pleasanter things," he announced, picking up the item that had been resting in his lap. "Jack wanted me to give you this as a thank you for taking him to the zoo."

"That's so sweet of him but he didn't have to get me anything," Emily protested, accepting the sloppily wrapped present.

"He wanted to," he said fondly and then chuckled. "As you can see he wrapped it all by himself."

"I see," she said smiling. "Please tell him he did a wonderful job."

"I shall. Now open it."

"Okay," she agreed and tucked one end of the present between her knees to hold it in place while she tore at the paper with her good hand.

What emerged from the shredded gift-wrap was the photo of her and Jack, with the giant panda munching on bamboo in the background, that had been taken at the zoo. It was displayed in a wooden frame with animals prowling around its borders.

"I love it," she said in delight, running her fingers over the photograph.

Hotch pointed at the frame. "There's a second copy inside if you want one for home."

"Thank you, Hotch, and thank Jack for me for the great gift."

"I will," he said, watching her admiring the present. He wanted to talk to her about something a bit more personal but he wasn't certain how open she would be to it. Several times when he had visited her in the hospital he had wanted to broach the subject with her but each time it hadn't felt right so he set it aside for later.

He cleared his throat to capture her attention. "Emily, I need to explain to you why I had to…"

Her whole body language changed before his eyes. Emily tensed, the knuckles on the hand clutching the picture frame turned white while the other hand trapped in the sling balled into a fist. Her defenses slammed into place and a guarded look came over her face as she shut him down. "I don't want to know," she said coolly.

"Emily," he began again.

"You did what you did." Emily stood up and gestured to the door. "May I please leave before I say something that I won't regret later?"

"Sure," he said, rising to his feet. She nodded her thanks and turned to leave. "We can talk about it later," he offered.

Emily paused in the doorway and looked back at him. Her eyes were distant and cold. "I don't think so," she said and left.

Hotch walked over to the office window and watched her rejoin the team, acting as if nothing unsettling had just occurred. Her compartmentalizing skills were kicking into high gear. Emily was definitely still angry with him for faking her death and, to some extent, JJ for her participation in the deception. He didn't blame her one bit for reacting this way. He knew she understood the reasoning behind his decision and had eventually agreed that it was the only way to keep her safe.

But what had made Emily so angry was that she had not been consulted, that she had no control of her own life. He had stepped over her personal boundaries, tore her away from the only family she knew and sent her off into exile. He had done the same thing with Haley when Foyet was after him but he had had a chance to talk it over with her first. Emily had not been afforded any such luxury. She had been blindsided by the news of her death and the impending relocation.

Emily had just finished showing everyone the photograph and was now looking her desk over for the perfect spot to put it. Hotch shook his head slightly. After all these years of working with her, he was still amazed and frustrated at times at how well Emily could lock all the unwanted thoughts, memories and feelings away in boxes and shove them back into the deepest recesses of her mind. But how long, he wondered, before those compartments overflowed and started eating at her soul?

* * *

It took a couple of days for Emily to settle in and get a feel for things. At first she had felt like a stranger in a strange land and that everyone was watching her every move. Everyone was solicitous, checking on how she was doing and if there was anything she needed. It got old fast and she so wanted to tell the next person who asked to take a flying leap out the nearest window, but she held her tongue. Eventually things calmed down and settled into a state of next to normal.

The most difficult part for Emily had been watching the team leaving for Idaho while she stood next to her desk feeling like a lost puppy. She had tried working the case with the team from Garcia's lair but found the space too cramped with both of them and all of the computer equipment in there. Garcia's dislike of having her stuff touched or moved hadn't helped, either. Heaven help you if you dared to take a post-it note off the pad.

In the end she took Hotch's advice and set up her own murder board in the conference room. She spent hours standing before it, unconsciously rubbing the scar on her stomach as she examined and reexamined the evidence. Emily remained in constant contact with the team. She started the same time they did and only slept when they did. Knowing how engrossed Emily could become in a case, Garcia hijacked Anderson and made him Emily's personal errand boy. She tasked him with the duties of driving Emily to and from Rossi's and delivering lunch and dinner.

After two days they hadn't made much progress until Reid made an off-handed comment. It triggered a nagging thought and all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place for Emily. Then she spent the next hour nervously pacing the conference room floor waiting to hear how the arrest went. Emily now had a better understanding of how Penelope felt when the team was out in the field. When the call came saying everything went smoothly she sagged into the nearest chair in relief and ran her hand through her hair.

Slowly, Emily swiveled the chair around so that she could look out over the bullpen. Her face broke out into a smile. Solving the case had felt good. For five months she had reacted to events unfolding around her, never getting caught up in them if she could avoid it. But the last couple of days were different. For once she had been actively involved from start to finish and it had left her with a sense of accomplishment.

Emily played with the strap of the sling as she thought back to the little toast she had made with Dave weeks ago. She had said that in life we don't often get second chances. Of course she had been referring to herself and when you were lucky enough to get one you should go for it and see where it leads. At this moment Emily was glad she had followed her own advice; she was back where she belonged with her family. The events of the past year had torn her asunder and had reshaped her into a wiser, more cautious and stronger person. She would always bear the physical and emotional scars, but as Dave had said once scars remind us where we have been, they do not dictate where we were going.

**THE END**

* * *

_That is all she wrote. Hope everyone enoyed it as much as I had enjoyed writing it. Thanks to all who reviewed and who hopefully do so this week. I look forward to continuing entertaining all you readers. Until then._


	16. Chapter 16

_Oops...did I forget to mention last week that I had an epilogue chapter? How wicked of me. Enjoy. And don't forget to read my note at the end. I have an important question to ask._

* * *

Epilogue:

Russ shifted the box to one hand and rang the doorbell with the other. Then he turned his back on the door to gaze out over the houses. Emily certainly had chosen a real nice neighborhood to move to. He was a bit surprised that she had decided to buy a house and not get another apartment. She had always said it was nice not to be tied down to property. He shrugged his shoulders. Maybe after going undercover she had wanted to try something new. It was cool with him, but he still liked the apartment she had had with the awesome view of the Washington Monument.

The sound of the doorknob turning captured his attention. He spun around, grinning from ear to ear. "Hey, Ace!"

The rest of what he was going to say died on his lips when he found himself face to face with an older man with black hair and goatee peppered with gray. Russ blinked in surprise. _Emily has a boyfriend?_

"Yes?" the man asked mildly.

"Umm…" Russ stammered. "I have a delivery from the Bookmark for Emily Prentiss."

The man smiled. "You must be Russ." He held the door open wider. "Do come in."

"Thank you, Sir," he said tentatively and stepped through, eyes still glued to the man. _Man he looks familiar,_ he thought.

After closing the door the man gestured to the living room. "You can put the box on the coffee table. Emily will be down shortly."

"Okay," Russ said and scurried over to drop off the package. When he turned around the man was holding his hand out to him.

"I'm Dav…" he started to say.

"You're David Rossi!" he blurted out, finally recognizing him. He grabbed Dave's hand and furiously pumped it up and down. "The David Rossi!"

Dave chuckled while amusement twinkled in his eyes. "Yes I am, though I don't know about the 'the' part."

"I thought you looked familiar. I've seen your picture on the back of the books I've shelved at work. It's a real pleasure to meet you, Sir," he enthused. "Are you Emily's boyfriend?"

Meanwhile, Emily had come downstairs looking stylish and crisp in black slacks and a white blouse. Russ noted her arm was still in the sling but the splints on the two fingers were gone. Hearing the end of the conversation, she came up to the teenager and poked him in the shoulder. "No, he's not," she drawled. "I work with him at the BAU. Remember I told you about him and I'm just staying here while I recuperate and look for a new apartment."

Russ' mouth formed a small 'o'. "Oh," he breathed, blushing slightly at his gaff.

Emily laughed and poked the teenager again. "Pigpen, close your mouth before you swallow a fly," she teased, "and give Mr. Rossi back his hand."

"Right," he said hastily and dropped Dave's hand like a hot potato. "I remember, Ace. I just didn't connect Agent Rossi with the author David Rossi."

Dave arced an amused eyebrow at them. "Pigpen? Ace?"

The young man smiled sheepishly. "My baseball uniform was always covered in dirt."

Emily smiled fondly. "I swear he brought home half of the infield with him after every game." They all shared a laugh and Dave tried to get Emily to reveal why Russ called her Ace. She told him it was between her and the kid. The two men exchanged knowing looks; both knew how private their friend could be and she wasn't going to tell.

She turned the conversation back to the teenager. "So, Russ, are you still on the clock?"

He shook his head. "Nope. You were my last delivery so I am all yours to do with as you see fit." He grinned cheekily.

"Great," she said with a smile. "Why don't we go out on the patio and get reacquainted?" she suggested.

"Sure," he agreed and followed his friend through the French doors and out on to the patio. Emily led him over to two chairs arranged under the awning.

Before Emily had a chance to get settled, Russ bounded back to his feet. He held up a finger and said, "I'll be right back."

He disappeared back into the house. She heard him pound across the floor and then slam the front door. A minute later he repeated his trip in reverse. Russ sidestepped to his chair, keeping his hands behind his back, which naturally piqued Emily's curiosity.

"I thought you might want this," he said somewhat nervously as he held out a framed photograph.

Emily took it, flipped it over, and smiled. It was a picture of Russ decked out in his green cap and gown and gold honors cord, proudly displaying his diploma to the camera. "I love it," she said, eyes welling with pride. "You look so handsome."

Russ ducked his head modestly. "Thanks."

"Who took the picture?" she asked, regretting once again that she had missed watching him walk across the stage to receive his diploma.

"You remember my friend Jimmy?" he asked and Emily nodded. "His mom took the picture and then threw a graduation party for both of us."

"That was a nice thing she did for you, Russ. I'm glad you were able to celebrate your graduation with someone," Emily said with a wistful smile.

The teenager shifted in his chair. "Emily?"

She looked up at him. "Yes?"

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I was wondering when you get rid of the sling if I could get a picture of me in my cap and gown with you? It would mean a lot to me."

Emily felt herself get all choked up over this heart-warming scene. At this very moment she felt more love for this redheaded kid than she had ever felt before. This boy, no, this man, held a special place in her heart alongside the place Declan had. It was an honor she bestowed on very few people. Those two boys were the only ones Emily allowed completely behind her walls.

She swallowed around the lump of emotions stuck in her throat. "I would be honored to do so."

"Great!" he said, grinning. All the awkwardness hanging in the air as they attempted to rekindle their close friendship faded, leaving them both feeling as if the months of forced separation had never occurred. How easy it was for them to pick up where they had left off.

Emily smiled. "And speaking of graduation, I have something for you." She reached behind her chair and pulled a large box wrapped in festive paper, festooned with graduation caps and rolled diplomas, and topped with a bow and ribbon in the school's colors.

"Ace, you didn't have to get me something now," he protested lightly, taking the gift and setting it in his lap.

"Actually, I bought this months before…" Emily trailed off, still uncomfortable with trying to explain her sudden resurrection.

"Before life interfered?" Russ suggested, knowing what she was struggling with.

Emily let out a shaky laugh. "That works. Before life interfered. It took several days for my friend JJ and her boyfriend to find it amongst all the boxes when they packed up my apartment and put everything in storage."

Russ nodded and ran his hands reverently over the present.

"Well?" Emily asked, arching an eyebrow in amusement. "Aren't you going to open it or are you planning on sitting there all night admiring the pretty paper?"

"Opening it," he said with a laugh and tore into the present with the enthusiasm of a six year old on Christmas morning.

Soon the patio tile was littered with scraps of paper. Russ ripped the lid off the box and then forced himself to slow down. Emily leaned in watching his face intently, wearing a half smile on her own face. The teenager folded back the tissue paper and froze in shock. His eyes grew big and round. He looked to Emily then looked back into the box and then back at her and finally back to what was inside the box.

Emily laughed softly. "Do you like it?"

Russ reached in and gingerly pulled out a baseball glove. He held it up to the light and turned it from side to side. "It's a Rawling Pro Preferred Grey Eagle," he whispered in disbelief. "They're hard to find." He turned to Emily. "How did you know?"

"I'm a profiler, remember?" she teased. "I'm trained to listen and observe. I overheard you telling one of your teammates how you had your eyes on one for years but it was way out of your reach."

He slid the glove onto his hand and opened and closed it several times. Russ then grinned and jumped to his feet. In one bound he pulled Emily out of her chair and engulfed her in a big bear hug. "This is the best gift ever!" he crowed.

Emily laughed heartily as she broke the hug. "Well you have all of fall and winter to break it in. But I want you to promise me something," she said seriously.

"Anything, Ace, anything."

"Promise me you'll play damn good ball with that glove."

"I promise," Russ said, slamming his fist into the pocket of the mitt.

At that moment Dave poked his head through the French doors. "Dinner is ready."

Russ took that as a signal to leave. He took the glove off and tucked it back into the box. "I better get going then. I don't want to impose by staying too long. Thanks for the awesome gift, Ace." He picked up the gift and went to give Emily another hug but she backed out of reach.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

He jerked his head at the door. "You heard Mr. Rossi. I don't want to keep your from your dinner. I can come back another day."

"Actually, Pigpen, the dinner is for both of us."

"Huh?" he looked at her in confusion.

Emily slipped her arm through his and guided him back into the house and over to the dining room table that was elegantly laid out for two. "I had every intention of taking you out to dinner to celebrate your graduation." She shrugged her good shoulder. "So I'm a few months late. You game? Mr. Rossi is a damn fine cook."

"I'm game." Russ dashed over to drop his gift off on the coffee table and made it back in time to pull the chair out for Emily.

"Thank you, Russ," she said and he hurried over to his own chair.

Dave carried the last of the hot plates to the table. He grinned at the two of them. "Tonight you are having roasted garlic with melted brie on crusted bread for an appetizer and for the main course spaghetti with ramps. It is all so delicious," he said with a kiss of his fingers and exaggerated the gesture into the air. Then he turned to leave.

Russ frowned. "Aren't you staying, Mr. Rossi?"

"I wasn't planning to. This is supposed to be just for the two of you."

"I would like it if you would join us."

Dave looked at Emily for permission. She shrugged and smiled, genuinely pleased that he wanted to stay. She had asked him earlier and he had politely refused. "The more the merrier."

"Well, we'll need something good to drink with it now," he said with a smile then disappeared. A few minutes later he returned with a bottle of Soave white wine. He uncorked the bottle with flair and started to pour three glasses.

"Umm…Dave? Russ can't have wine. He's underage," Emily pointed out.

Dave paused in pouring. "It's only one glass, Emily. I don't think it is going to stunt his growth."

Emily rolled her eyes and gestured dismissively with her hand. "Go ahead then."

"Sweet," Russ said and watched as Dave poured and set the glass before him. He picked it up and took a tiny sip. "This is good."

Dave sat down and picked up his glass. "A toast," he said as Russ and Emily held up theirs.

"Amicizie maggio, come il vino, migliorare, come l'avanzare del tempo. E che possiamo sempre avere il vino vecchio, vecchi amici, e giovani cure."

Russ leaned over to Emily. "What did he say?" he asked.

Emily translated. "May friendships, like wine, improve, as time advances. And may we always have old wine, old friends, and young cares."

"Cool," Russ said and then asked with a hungry grin, "Can we eat now?"

Dave and Emily laughed at his eagerness. "Yes, you can start," she said. The two adults watched him dig in with the gusto of a typical teenage boy.

By the time Emily and Dave had finished theirs, Russ was well into his second helping. When Russ was finally finished, Dave leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his wine. "So Russ," he said, "since we both know how much our mutual friend here fiercely protects her privacy." He winked at Emily who wrinkled her nose at him. "Why don't you tell me how the two of you met?"

Russ mimicked Dave's pose. "Well, Mr. Rossi, it all started…"

* * *

_Now it is officially done. I shall not be sneaking up with another chapter. Now I have a question to pose. I have several stories in progress but I can't seem to be able to pick one so I thought I would leave that up to you readers. Please read over the descriptions and drop me a PM on which one you would like to see next (pick only one please). Please do not use the review section to let me know unless you are actually leaving a review (if you are a guest use the review section because I know you can't PM). I look forward to see which one comes out on top and I should be ready to post by mid June. Here they are:_

_1) Emily's first case back in the field is pretty straight forward, a simple consultation on years old bodies found in an abandoned house. Or is it? (Next in the series)_

_2) The team travels to Vermont to investigate the discovery of human bones in a national park. Will they find the killer before he takes another victim? (Stand alone. Takes place in season 3, a month after Rossi joins the team)_

_3) Emily and a deputy go to interview a potential witness. When they get there they find more than they had bargained for. (Stand alone. No specific season)_

_4) While on medical leave for an injury, Emily has a chance encounter with a young man that changes both of their lives. (Emily and Russ' first meeting. Takes place in season 2)_

_Of course they are all Emily centered. She is after all my favorite character. Let me know you preferences. I will eventually write them all. _


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